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09/05/2025 – 05:30 AM
SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Qualcomm Technologies (NASDAQ: QCOM) and BMW Group are making waves in the automotive industry with the debut of their jointly developed Snapdragon Ride Pilot automated driving (AD) system. Unveiled in the all-new BMW iX3 at IAA Mobility 2025, this system represents a significant leap forward in driver assistance technology.
BMW iX3
Snapdragon Ride Pilot leverages Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride system-on-chips (SoCs) and a new automated driving software stack co-engineered with BMW. This collaborative effort, spanning three years and involving over 1,400 specialists across Germany, the USA, Sweden, Romania, and the BMW AD Test Center in the Czech Republic, has resulted in a scalable platform supporting AD levels from entry-level NCAP to Level 2+ highway and urban navigation on autopilot (NOA) capabilities.
AI-Powered Automation and Scalability are Key
The strategic importance of Snapdragon Ride Pilot lies in its ability to offer automakers a customizable and scalable AD solution. Its modular design allows for integration from basic active safety systems, utilizing a single camera, to more complex L2+ functionalities requiring multiple cameras and radar sensors. This scalability is likely to be attractive to manufacturers looking to offer varying degrees of automated driving across their vehicle lineups.
The system’s AI-driven capabilities are another crucial component. Snapdragon Ride Pilot employs a data-driven approach, constantly updating its algorithms with information gleaned from a global fleet of vehicles. This continuous learning loop, facilitated by a cloud-based data flywheel system, promises to enhance the system’s accuracy, reliability, and adaptability to diverse driving conditions. This data is the lifeblood of modern AD systems and a critical differentiator.
Global Validation and Expanding Availability
Currently validated in 60 countries, Snapdragon Ride Pilot is slated for expansion to over 100 countries by 2026, showcasing its potential for widespread adoption. Qualcomm’s decision to offer this platform to all global automakers and Tier-1 suppliers marks a significant shift, potentially democratizing access to advanced AD technology beyond exclusive partnerships. This broader availability could accelerate the development and deployment of automated driving features across the industry.
Nakul Duggal, Group General Manager, Automotive and Industrial & Embedded IoT, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., emphasized the transformative nature of the collaboration, highlighting its potential to bring the safety and comfort benefits of automated driving to a wider consumer base.
Dr. Mihiar Ayoubi, Senior Vice President Development Driving Experience, BMW Group, echoed this sentiment, noting the system’s contribution to BMW’s “Neue Klasse” and its focus on smart, symbiotic, and safe ADAS solutions.
Inside the Snapdragon Ride AD Software Stack
The software stack underpinning Snapdragon Ride Pilot is comprised of a perception stack developed by Qualcomm Technologies and a drive policy engine co-developed with BMW. Key features include:
- 360-Degree Perception: A camera-based vision system handles object detection, surround view, lane recognition, traffic sign interpretation, parking assistance, driver monitoring, and mapping. The system employs a bird’s-eye-view (BEV) architecture and advanced fisheye camera processing techniques for improved perception.
- Safety-First Approach: The system is engineered to meet stringent Automotive Safety Integrity Levels (ASIL) and Functional Safety (FuSa) standards, ensuring compliance with regulations like NCAP, FMVSS127, and DCAS. Robust cybersecurity measures are also integrated.
- Advanced Context-Aware Driving: Blends rule-based and AI-based models for behavior prediction and planning, enabling safer navigation of complex driving scenarios.
The development process is supported by a data and simulation factory, which integrates real-world and synthetic data to create diverse driving scenarios for training and testing the system’s AI models. This robust simulation environment is crucial for validating the software’s performance under various conditions and edge cases.
BMW iX3: A Showcase for Snapdragon Ride
The all-new BMW iX3 features an ADAS system built on the Snapdragon Ride platform, utilizing high-performance SoCs for sensor data processing and advanced computer vision for perception. This integration enables features like contextual lane change, active lane change, highway assistant (hands-free driving on approved roads), AI-powered parking assistance, and camera-based in-cabin monitoring.
The BMW iX3’s central intelligent computer, powered by Snapdragon Ride SoCs, boasts 20 times the computing power of the previous generation. A unified architecture, incorporating high-definition cameras, radar sensors, and precise GNSS localization, provides 360-degree coverage for reliable automated driving.
Furthermore, the BMW iX3 incorporates Qualcomm’s V2X 200 chipset, enabling vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications. This technology enhances safety by allowing the vehicle to “see” beyond the range of traditional sensors through direct communication with other vehicles, infrastructure, and road users.
The Bottom Line
The collaboration between Qualcomm and BMW on the Snapdragon Ride Pilot system represents a significant move toward more advanced and accessible automated driving. Its scalable architecture, AI-powered data processing, and commitment to safety position it as a compelling solution for automakers seeking to integrate cutting-edge driver assistance technology into their vehicles. The debut in the BMW iX3 is just the beginning, with the potential for widespread adoption across various vehicle segments and manufacturers.
Qualcomm relentlessly innovates to deliver intelligent computing everywhere, helping the world tackle some of its most important challenges. Building on our 40 years of technology leadership in creating era-defining breakthroughs, we deliver a broad portfolio of solutions built with our leading-edge AI, high-performance, low-power computing, and unrivaled connectivity. Our Snapdragon® platforms power extraordinary consumer experiences, and our Qualcomm Dragonwing™ products empower businesses and industries to scale to new heights. Together with our ecosystem partners, we enable next-generation digital transformation to enrich lives, improve businesses, and advance societies. At Qualcomm, we are engineering human progress.
Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering and research and development functions and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business. Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patents are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.
Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.
Qualcomm, Qualcomm Dragonwing and Snapdragon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated.
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