BMW, Qualcomm and Arriver join hands for software for automated driving

Last November, Qualcomm Technologies unveiled a new partnership with BMW for chips for the next generation of driver-assistance and self-driving systems. Now, the companies, along with Arriver Software AB, have announced further cooperation for the development of automated driving (AD) technologies. 

The next-generation AD technologies would "range from New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), Level 2 Advanced Driving Assistance Systems to Level 3 High Automated Driving functionalities."

To enable sophisticated and safe functionalities in a vehicle you need state-of-the art software in all components of the digital value chain. The new software will be the backbone for intelligent driver assistance systems.  

The new software to be developed will be based on the current BMW Automated Driving software stack, which was first launched with the BMW iX in 2021.

BMW’s next generation Automated Driving System will be ported on the Snapdragon Ride Vision system-on-chip (SoC) including Arriver Computer Vision and Snapdragon Car-to-Cloud Services platform, the companies said in a statement.

The cooperation will see more than 1,400 specialists working together in locations worldwide, including Germany, USA, Sweden, China, Romania, and the BMW AD Test Center in Czech Republic.

Automotive chips crucial for Qualcomm

Automotive chips are a crucial growth area for Qualcomm, which supplies chips for infotainment systems instrument panels to companies such as GM and Renault. But the company has also been working on chips that power driver-assistance computers for tasks such as automated lane-keeping and self-driving systems.

Nakul Duggal, Senior Vice President and General Manager Automotive, Qualcomm Technologies, said "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."

Arriver said that it would offer the co-developed product to its customers globally.  

The BMW Group, Qualcomm Technologies and Arriver are working closely together to establish and continuously develop an ecosystem for automated driving solutions but remain open to further partnerships, the companies said.

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