Stellantis N.V. and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have signed a significant expansion in their technology partnership. The partnership would incorporate Qualcomm’s Snapdragon® Digital Chassis system-on-chips (SoCs) into the complete vehicle portfolio at Stellantis, thus creating a strong base on which future software-defined transport can be built.
Vehicle Intelligence Unification Through STLA Brain Architecture
The expanded partnership will seamlessly incorporate the Snapdragon Digital Chassis technology into the company’s own STLA Brain electronic and software architecture. The combination of these technologies is expected to significantly enhance in-car cockpit experience, cellular connection, and ADAS functionality. The fact that this technology was developed in a way that could seamlessly integrate into all the brands and product ranges from Stellantis means that there should be reduced cost of manufacture, along with the time taken to develop it.
As part of this extended partnership, it is expected that the Snapdragon Ride™ Pilot platform would form an integral part of this partnership, as it would help Stellantis scale up their ADAS capability from regulatory to level 2+ and further.
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Deepening AI Capabilities and Automated Driving Research
In tandem with the hardware expansion, the two companies have signed a non-binding letter of intent for Qualcomm Technologies to acquire aiMotive, the automated driving and simulation software specialist currently owned by Stellantis. The potential transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions.
“Our customers deserve seamless, next-generation experiences that continuously evolve to meet their driving needs. By deploying this intelligent platform across our global portfolio, Stellantis is delivering on that promise with unprecedented speed and efficiency,” said Ned Curic, Chief Engineering and Technology Officer, Stellantis. “This is made possible through our strategic collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, which allows us to scale smarter, connected capabilities across all our brands.”
“This expansion reflects the scale and depth of what Qualcomm and Stellantis have built together – a relationship that spans connectivity, digital cockpit and now ADAS and automated driving,” said Nakul Duggal, EVP and Group General Manager, Automotive, Industrial and Embedded IoT, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. Our Snapdragon Digital Chassis enables scalable deployment of unified compute power and advanced driving capabilities across vehicles and brands, and extending that across the full Stellantis portfolio marks a meaningful inflection point for both companies and for the drivers who experience it.”
The Era of Centralized Automotive Compute
With changing consumer demands towards more connected, flexible electric and IC engines, the automobile industry is quickly moving towards computing centers. The partnership highlights the crucial need for scalable and AI-enabled semiconductors that can assist traditional carmakers to develop innovative features and seamlessly roll out over-the-air updates while delivering safe and user-friendly driving experiences.
