Qualcomm has announced it is working with Google to build AI “Digital Cockpit” for cars and other passenger vehicles. The collaboration will involve Qualcomm’s chips and Google’s software to offer automakers the ability to build their own AI voice assistants.
Qualcomm chips to power AI Digital Cockpit
Qualcomm has become one of the leading chip makers in the Artificial intelligence space. Its latest chipsets such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite, are quite powerful. This SoC may power the Samsung Galaxy S25 smartphone.
Simply put, Qualcomm already has the relevant expertise in making chips that pack a lot of processing power. However, the majority of its products currently power smartphones. Qualcomm is now trying to make it big in the automotive and other sectors through strategic partnerships.
Qualcomm claims its automaker clients want to embed more AI technology in their cars. And the company is now promising, “ambitious, futuristic AI capabilities that hover between exciting and science-fiction”.
Qualcomm has been working with Google for several years. In fact, the latter’s Android OS system has steadily made its way into the automotive business. Moving forward, Qualcomm and Google will reportedly, “create a version of the company’s Android Automotive OS that will run smoothly on Qualcomm chips”.
What will Qualcomm and Google offer the automotive business?
Most of the modern car drivers today are familiar with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. However, automakers heavily rely on Google’s Android Automotive OS to power vehicle computing systems.
Qualcomm confirmed automakers will be able to benefit from the joint offering. Specifically speaking, Qualcomm’s AI-optimized chips and Google’s AI technology would build and drive voice assistants for carmakers. More importantly, these AI assistants would be unique to an automaker. Qualcomm added that these AI systems can work without relying on a driver’s phone.
Speaking about the vision and roadmap for the partnership, Nakul Duggal, group manager for automotive at Qualcomm, stated, “Typically, we have operated together, but independently – we plan a lot of things together, but we go to customers separately. We decided we should think about this differently because it will reduce a lot of friction and confusion.”
Incidentally, Qualcomm has announced new Cockpit Elite and Ride Elite platforms with Oryon CPU tech. These new chips promise 3X and 12X CPU and AI performance over previous versions respectively.
Moving forward, these chips would power the car’s infotainment console. The new chips could support multiple tasks such as navigation, music, calling, and gaming simultaneously. More importantly, the platforms would gain the power of AI. They would be able to answer questions about the vehicle and offer simple voice instructions, similar to what Volkswagen is trying.
