Qualcomm announced a partnership with Alphabet’s Google on Tuesday to provide automakers with a combination of chips and software, enabling them to develop their own AI-powered voice assistants. The collaboration aims to integrate Qualcomm’s chips with Google’s AI technology, allowing automakers to create voice assistants that do not depend on a driver’s smartphone.
The partnership builds on Qualcomm’s history of powering mobile devices with Google’s Android operating system. Over the years, Qualcomm has expanded into the automotive sector, providing chips for dashboards and automated driving systems used by companies such as General Motors. Qualcomm stated that its new collaboration with Google will include a version of Google’s Android Automotive OS, optimized to run on Qualcomm chips.
While many drivers are familiar with Google’s Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay, which project apps from smartphones onto a car’s dashboard, Android Automotive OS is a separate system that operates behind the scenes to manage vehicle computing functions. This new offering from Qualcomm and Google will enable automakers to integrate custom voice assistants into their vehicles using Google’s AI capabilities, enhancing user experience without relying on external devices.
“Typically, we have operated together, but independently—we plan a lot of things together, but we go to customers separately,” said Nakul Duggal, Qualcomm’s automotive group manager. “We decided we should think about this differently because it will reduce a lot of friction and confusion.”
In addition to the partnership, Qualcomm introduced two new chips on Tuesday. The Snapdragon Cockpit Elite chip is designed to power vehicle dashboards, while the Snapdragon Ride Elite chip is aimed at supporting self-driving features. Mercedes-Benz plans to incorporate the Snapdragon Cockpit Elite chip into its future vehicles, although specific models and timelines were not disclosed.
