Qualcomm launches Snapdragon Cockpit Elite, Snapdragon Ride Elite for smart cars

Qualcomm launched two new chipsets for smart cars at its ongoing Snapdragon Summit. The company announced the Snapdragon Cockpit Elite, which the company said will power advanced digital experiences, and the Snapdragon Ride Elite, which will bring automated driving capabilities to the cars. Both these chips are powered by the company's second-generation Qualcomm Oryon CPU. This CPU also powers the company's flagship Snapdragon Elite 8 chipset that was announced earlier this week.

In addition to the CPU, both the chipsets, that is, the Snapdragon Cockpit Elite and the Snapdragon Ride Elite, have the Qualcomm Hexagon NPU in core, which the company says provides up to 12X improvement in AI capabilities compared to previous generation models. Qualcomm says that this NPU enables Snapdragon Ride Elite powered cars to offer advanced AI-based features such as live decision-making, adaptive responses, and proactive assistance.

These chips also have the Qualcomm Adreno GPU, which the company says offers a three time increase in performance compared to older chipsets. This GPU also enables a hands-free automated driving that anticipates needs, along with real-time driver monitoring and enhanced object detection for a smoother driving experience.

Additionally, these chips offer support for 16 high resolution displays along with Advanced Automated Driving experience. They also support an advanced Image Signal Processor (ISP) that can process feed from 20 high-resolution cameras for 360-degree coverage and in-cabin monitoring.

On the AI front, these chipsets offer support for digital assistant that offers contextually relevant and personalised experiences enabled by natural voice control and data from sensors inside and outside of the vehicle to the driver and the passengers.

Snapdragon Cockpit Elite, Snapdragon Ride Elite availability

Qualcomm said that the Snapdragon Cockpit Elite and Snapdragon Ride Elite will be available for sampling in 2025 and Li Auto and Mercedes-Benz AG will be the first two companies that will include the Snapdragon Cockpit Elite and Snapdragon Ride Elite in their commercial vehicles. At the India Edition of the Snapdragon Summit, the company said first set of cars powered by these chips should be arrive in the market in 2026 - 2027.

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