Key Takeaways
- Automobile manufacturers will be able to create.
- Qualcomm is developing an Android Automotive OS version of its own.
- Two new chips from Qualcomm are unveiled to enable cutting-edge automobile systems.
A new collaboration between Google and Qualcomm aims to create the next generation of AI-powered automotive entertainment systems.
The two businesses have announced a multi-year strategic partnership that will allow automakers to create their own AI-powered voice assistants, more engaging mapping systems, and infotainment systems that can anticipate drivers’ needs, according to Qualcomm, a semiconductor and system-on-a-chip (SOC) manufacturer.
The news came after Qualcomm announced that it had also signed an agreement with Mercedes-Benz to incorporate its most recent Snapdragon Cockpit Elite and Snapdragon Ride Elite Platforms into upcoming cars. According to the chipmaker, these platforms are going to have three times faster CPUs and up to twelve times stronger AI performance for in-car experiences than those of earlier generations.
There is little information available regarding which automakers and whose models will use the upcoming operating system (China’s Li Autos is also rumored to obtain the latest technology). According to Qualcomm, automotive software developers will be able to develop generative AI-enabled in-car experiences with its newest generation of chips, including real-time updates, immersive map experiences, and user-friendly voice assistants.
Qualcomm showed a video during a presentation at the SnapDragon Summit that showed a voice assistant telling its owner that “there is no parking nearby.” The audio then suggested that the owner unload while the car parks itself.
While some companies, like Volkswagen and Renault, have developed simple branded voice assistants that link to ChatGPT, we have not yet seen in-car virtual assistants that provide interactions that are truly natural, that can modify autonomous driving behavior according to a person’s preferences, or that provide a genuinely customized in-cabin experience depending on factors like mood, time of day, or even location.
With its SAE Level 3 Drive Pilot system, Mercedes-Benz already permits some of the highest degrees of autonomous driving in the world. In select regions of Europe and the US, hands-off and eyes-off driving is possible under specific circumstances.
