Qualcomm Technologies announced on the 8th that it has unveiled a new autonomous driving (AD) system, the “Snapdragon Ride Pilot,” developed in collaboration with BMW Group over three years.
This system is built on Qualcomm’s “Snapdragon Ride” system-on-chip (SoC) and utilizes the latest Snapdragon Ride AD software stack jointly developed by the two companies. It is designed to meet top safety standards and supports a wide range of autonomous driving stages, from entry-level New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) safety ratings to Level 2+ highway and urban Navigation on Autopilot (NOA) functions. The Snapdragon Ride Pilot made its debut in BMW’s first production vehicle for the “Neue Klasse,” the new BMW iX3. It has been approved for use in over 60 countries and is expected to expand to over 100 countries by next year. Currently, Snapdragon Ride Pilot is available globally to automakers and top-tier suppliers via Qualcomm.
The Snapdragon Ride Pilot’s AD software stack is the result of a global development collaboration involving more than 1,400 experts from various regions, including Germany, the United States, Sweden, Romania, and the Czech Republic-based BMW AD Test Center, who worked together for three years to achieve technological realization.
Nakul Duggal, Head of Qualcomm Automotive, Industrial, and Embedded IoT, stated, “Qualcomm, in collaboration with BMW’s world-class engineering team, has brought about true transformation. This partnership allows us to provide an excellent system that offers a safe and comfortable autonomous driving experience to customers around the world, regardless of vehicle class. Together, Qualcomm and BMW have created the innovative driver assistance system Snapdragon Ride Pilot, setting a new standard in the industry with safety as the top priority. We are delighted to be part of the moment when this system realizes BMW’s vision in the BMW iX3. We anticipate that Snapdragon Ride Pilot’s widespread adoption will lead to a new era of innovation and advancement in mobility solutions.”
The Snapdragon Ride AD software stack includes Qualcomm’s self-developed perception stack and a jointly developed driving policy engine with BMW. This stack supports automakers and top-tier suppliers in implementing a flexible, cost-effective, scalable solution with reduced time to market by utilizing their own driving policies or turnkey platforms.
The Snapdragon Ride AD software stack consists of multiple layers, including 360-degree perception, safety-prioritized approaches, and advanced situational awareness driving.
A core element of Snapdragon Ride, the data and simulation factory aids in the development and testing of the stack. By integrating real data with synthetic data generation and AI-based simulations, this toolchain generates diverse and robust driving scenarios to enhance the training and testing processes of automotive models, enabling the rapid development of autonomous driving software capable of handling complex real-world scenarios.
Snapdragon Ride Pilot supports over-the-air (OTA) updates and offers full customization with the Snapdragon Ride SDK, allowing automakers to flexibly adjust the solution in all aspects of their vehicles. It also continuously improves safety and convenience throughout the vehicle’s life cycle by utilizing vehicle data.
The advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) in the new BMW iX3 is based on Snapdragon Ride. This system integrates high-performance automotive SoCs for centralized sensor data processing, advanced computer vision modules for perception, and the jointly developed Snapdragon Ride autonomous driving software stack with driving policies and safety guardrails.
BMW iX3’s autonomous driving system offers scenario-based lane changes and overtakes, active lane changes and highway driving assistance, parking assistance with AI-based parking space detection, and in-vehicle monitoring using cameras.
BMW’s “Autonomous Driving Superbrain” is a central intelligent computer powered by Snapdragon Ride SoC, offering 20 times higher computing performance than the previous generation and integrating various autonomous driving functions. It uses an integrated architecture containing 8-megapixel and 3-megapixel high-resolution cameras and radar sensors to provide 360-degree all-around coverage. Additionally, it combines high-resolution mapping with precise Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning functions to create a robust system for safe and reliable autonomous driving.
Furthermore, the BMW iX3 is equipped with Qualcomm’s V2X 200 chipset, supporting vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, which enhances safety. Through V2X communication, the vehicle can “see and hear” beyond the ADAS sensors’ line of sight, directly interacting with road infrastructure, pedestrians, other vehicles, and the surrounding environment to detect unseen hazards, thereby reducing collision risk, explained the company.