Qualcomm readies new Snapdragon-powered automated driving system with BMW

Qualcomm and BMW have jointly developed a new automated driving system, Snapdragon Ride Pilot, which Qualcomm says has already been validated in more than 60 countries.

Snapdragon Ride Pilot on BMW iX3 — *Image via Qualcomm*

Mobile silicon giant Qualcomm has teamed up with the German automaker BMW to announce an AI-powered automated driving system, Snapdragon Ride Pilot. The system is now available to all global automakers, and the BMW iX3 electric car will be the first to feature the tech.

The two companies have worked for three years to co-develop the automated driving (AD) software stack for Snapdragon Ride Pilot, which runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon Ride SoCs (system-on-chips) purpose-built for cars. Qualcomm claims the technology has already been validated for use in more than 60 countries and is expected to reach over 100 countries by 2026.

Snapdragon Ride Pilot uses a mix of software and hardware to achieve 360-degree perception, recognizing objects on the roads, interpreting traffic signs, lane recognition, parking assistance, and driver monitoring.

The system uses a combination of rules and AI models to predict the behavior of other drivers and handle complex driving scenarios. A part of it relies on cameras and a bird-eye-view (BEV) architecture to have a top-down look, much like a bird, to understand the surroundings of the car.

Qualcomm said that Snapdragon Ride Pilot supports a variety of safety standards, ranging from entry-level NCAP to Level 2+ with Navigation on Autopilot (NOA) for highway and urban roads. Depending on the requirements, the AD system can be configured to run on a cost-effective single-camera setup or scale up to a multi-camera, multi-radar Level 2+ setup.

The automated driving system is trained and improved using a combination of data collected from real-world cars, synthetic data, and AI-powered simulations. It supports OTA (over-the-air) updates, and car makers can use its SDK to customize the Snapdragon Ride features according to their vehicle.

The chipmaker also noted that on the "Neue Klasse" BMW iX3, Snapdragon Ride powers its ADAS with 20 times faster processing while using high-definition cameras, radar sensors, and an advanced GPS system. It offers features such as contextual lane switching and overtaking, active lane change, highway assist, parking assistance, and camera-based in-cabin monitoring.

Qualcomm and BMW will showcase Snapdragon Ride Pilot at IAA Mobility 2025 on September 8.