BMW Group, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and Arriver Software AB have announced that they are joining forces to codevelop next-generation assisted and automated driving systems. The companies will focus on joint development of next-generation technologies ranging from NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) to Level 2 advanced driving assistance systems and Level 3 high automated driving functionalities.

The co-development of software functions is based on the current BMW software stack first launched in the carmakers iX electric SUV in 2021, which will be enhanced in the next generation through this cooperation. In November, it was announced that BMW’s next-generation automated driving system would be ported on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride Vision system-on-chip (SoC), which includes Arriver computer vision and the Snapdragon Ride platform’s compute SoC controllers managed by Snapdragon car-to-cloud services platform.

The new development effort will focus on creating a scalable platform for automated driving based on a common reference architecture, sensor-set specifications, and safety requirements with joint development, toolchain, and a data center for storage, reprocessing, and simulation. The cooperation will see more than 1400 specialists working in locations globally including Germany, the U.S., Sweden, China, Romania, and the BMW AD Test Center in the Czech Republic.

“This joint software development is an important milestone for the BMW Group with regards to our next-generation automated driving platform,” said Nicolai Martin, Senior Vice President Driving Experience, BMW Group. “To enable sophisticated and safe functionalities in a vehicle you need state-of-the-art software in all components of the digital value chain. This forms the backbone for intelligent driver assistance systems.”

Arriver’s vision perception and NCAP features will be combined with the BMW software stack.

“Joining forces with Qualcomm Technologies and BMW Group, Arriver’s team will co-develop the next generation of open and scalable drive policy with world-class feature solutions and performance,” said Giuseppe Rosso, President and Managing Director, Arriver. “This co-developed product will be offered to our customers globally.”

“Building on already commercialized stack components from BMW Group and Arriver, this cooperation will position us to extend BMW automated drive software to the Snapdragon Ride platform, and expand the accessibility of safer self-driving technologies to other automakers and Tier-1s in an open, flexible and scalable deployment framework,” said Nakul Duggal, Senior Vice President and General Manager Automotive, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.


First Ride with GM Ultra Cruise

The Snapdragon Ride platform had its coming-out party at CES 2022 in Las Vegas in January, where it was announced that General Motors‘ next-generation hands-free driver-assist system called Ultra Cruise will be its first production application.

The advanced driver assistance technology’s compact compute module will be available in 2023 on vehicles including the fully electric, range-topping Cadillac Celestiq. With high-performance sensor interfaces and memory bandwidths, in combination with GM’s homegrown Ultra Cruise software stack, it will be key to helping Ultra Cruise achieve a combination of capability, reliability, predictability, and robust door-to-door hands-free driving in 95% of all driving scenarios.

“Despite its relatively small size, Ultra Cruise’s compute will have the processing capability of several hundred personal computers,” said Ken Morris, GM Vice President of Electric, Autonomous and Fuel Cell Vehicle Programs. “It will take qualities that have distinguished GM’s advanced driver assist systems since 2017 to the next level with door-to-door hands-free driving.”

The Ultra Cruise compute module will help power ADAS software developed in-house at GM engineering facilities in Israel, the U.S., Ireland, and Canada. The compute module is comprised of two Snapdragon SA8540P SoCs and one SA9000P AI accelerator to deliver key low-latency control functions on 16-core CPUs and high-performance AI compute of more than 300 TOPS (tera operations per second) for camera, radar, and LiDAR sensor processing.

The Snapdragon SoCs are designed with 5-nm process technology that enables performance, power efficiency, and bandwidth for Ultra Cruise’s sensing, perception, planning, localization, mapping, and driver monitoring. Along with Snapdragon Ride SoCs, the compute includes an Infineon Aurix TC397 processor for ASIL-D—the highest Automotive Safety Integrity Level.

 

Digital Chassis boost

The two recent Snapdragon Ride collaboration announcements are putting the spotlight yet again on Qualcomm’s greater push into mobility with the Snapdragon brand. At the GSMA Mobile World Congress Barcelona event late last month, the company unveiled the latest Snapdragon Digital Chassis connected-vehicle platform to support the development and delivery of new digital services.

Highlights of the platform include a new connectivity-as-a-service feature for Snapdragon car-to-cloud services to support global connectivity, integrated analytics, and on-device and cloud-enhanced apps/services. The Snapdragon telematics applications framework enables automotive developers to use telematics functionality across all platforms within the Snapdragon Digital Chassis. A new chip, with Wi-Fi 6E four-stream DBS (dual-band simultaneous) plus Bluetooth version 5.3 combination, supports faster Wi-Fi speeds and increased bandwidth for connected applications and services for automotive

Qualcomm believes that these latest enhancements empower automakers to redefine the driving experience for consumers while also creating opportunities for the automotive ecosystem to develop and deliver new, revenue-generating digital services.

“By expanding our in-vehicle connectivity offerings to provide a transformative, scalable, extensive suite of solutions through the Snapdragon Digital Chassis, we are confident the automotive industry will be able to deliver the unmatched next-generation driving experiences customers deserve,” said Duggal.

At MWC, Qualcomm highlighted new technology collaborations to support connectivity-as-a-service and the delivery of new technology features and digital services.

These new collaborations include one with Cognizant, which will work with Qualcomm to integrate and tailor Snapdragon car-to-cloud services for automakers, with the goal of delivering rich, immersive personalized in-vehicle experiences, new connected solutions, and better on-demand services. Another collaboration is with Cubic Telecom. That solution, created from Snapdragon car-to-cloud services with Cubic’s software products, is intended to provide a single point of control for out-of-the-box connectivity on Snapdragon telematics SOC-based NAD modules, with support for bundled data and services.