Qualcomm CES 2022 press conference: as it happened

There's just under three hours until the Qualcomm CES 2022 press conference kicks off, and we'll bring you the latest breaking news and analysis on the announcements right here.

This press conference is also being live streamed, so you can watch along with us.

So we know Qualcomm is going to talk about its "Snapdragon Digital Chassis" during the press conference, which it unveiled towards the end of 2021 at the IAA Mobility show in Munich.

It's essentially Qualcomm's all-in-one solution for automakers in terms of the digital aspect of a connected car, from the bits we see (such as the infotainment displays in the cabin), to the bits we don't (including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 5G connectivity, and autonomous driving).

Heavy hint from Qualcomm CEO, Cristiano Amon here that today's announcements will be automotive focused.

"driving(!)"

We may see more news around Qualcomm's 'Digital Cockpit', which looks to power the multitude of displays we're seeing in cars today - especially in the EV market where screens are getting bigger and more plentiful.

However - is this the right direction for infotainment displays in our cars? Have your say in our Twitter poll!

In case you missed it, Mercedes has already launched an enticing EV concept at CES 2022, with the Vision EQXX featuring a staggering 1,000km (620 miles) of range from a single charge and a mammoth 47.5-inch display inside.

• Learn more: Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX

Five minutes to go. We've had a bumper day so far with the likes of AMD, Nvidia and Dell all making big splashes... plus the arrival of a couple of new phones in the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE and OnePlus 10 Pro.

Can Qualcomm keep the good times rolling?

The press conference shouldn't last more than 45 minutes, so the good news is we're not going to be here all night. It's a good length of time really - enough to get key points across while keeping the show running tightly so to avoid waffle. Don't let me down Qualcomm!

You ready?

Opening video splash ends with the message "The Time is Now". Okay, let's do this then. Here comes Christiano.

Big stage. Big room live in Las Vegas - apparently 75% full. Impressive, considering the number of brands and press who have pulled out of the in-person event (TechRadar included).

Christiano is kicking off with a recap of what Qualcomm has been doing. "We see this opportunity of billion of smart connected devices that are connected to the cloud 100% of the time and significantly impacting industries".

Basically, more shit is gonna get connected people.

Qualcomm is seeing plenty of year-over-year growth. But now for the announcements, and we're going to talk mobile.

Xaiomi, OnePlus realme and more have already announced Snapdragon-toting smartphones this week, with more to come according to Cristiano.

"We're very excited with what's happening with the Snapdragon roadmap, and we're going into beyond mobile".

One step beyoonnnddddd.

"It's an exciting time for Qualcomm and we're becoming the partner of choice for edge [computing] in digital transformation."

Basically, Qualcomm is a popular kid and ain't shy about letting us know just that.

Some significant opportunities Qualcomm sees and is going to talk about today:

- next-gen ARM PCs
- the ticket to the metaverse (ugh)
- wireless fibre - broadband without wires
- ADAS - powering 21st century vehicles

Okay, PC news.

Broad support for the shift to PC on Arm, with momentum from Snapdragon chipsets, with big names already part of the movement including Microsoft, HP, Lenovo, Acer and Asus for Windows PCs.

There's plenty of enterprise support here too, including Cspire, Cisco, Lenovo, T-Mobile and Verizon.

Cristiano says the move to the Arm ecosystem is "inevitable".

Qualcomm has expanded its collaboration with Microsoft around mixed reality. It's developing a custom augmented reality Snapdragon chip for the Microsoft ecosystem.

Software from both Qualcomm and Microsoft will be integrated into the chipset and the platform will be available for next generation AR glasses.

We're moving only nicely, now onto wireless fiber.

Cristiano says he wants to make a bold statement; "5G, including millimetre way, is a universal last mile technology".

Bold enough for you? We'll let you mull it over.

However, essentially we're talking about your connectivity, be it using AR glasses, or streaming games at home over 5G, as well as over Wi-Fi.

US carrier AT&T is on board, with a statement that 5G is now a core technology for its backhaul and broadband technology.

We've been hearing about the benefits of 5G for years, but most have yet to come to market - we're getting closer (but still no firm release dates for specific features just yet).

As Cristiano says, "we're just at the beginning of the transition, but it's very exciting for 5G".

Right, automotive now. You keeping up?

Qualcomm says it's defining vehicles for the 21st century. Now that's a bold statement, and we're pretty sure automakers are probably doing the same.

The car is transitioning into a cloud-connected product, and unsurprisingly Qualcomm is heavily involved and wants to continue to take a sizable slice of the pie when it comes to creating a digital chassis.

Enter the Snapdragon Digital Chassis - a platform Qualcomm announced back in November 2021 at IAA Mobility, but we're getting more information on it today.

It's upgradable and customizable, which should continue to enhance the digital features in your car, from infotainment and digital displays to autonomous driving, wireless connectivity and telematics.

The digital cockpit is one of the most important features for those deciding what car to choose - would you like the mega screen setup in Qualcomm's example above?

Volvo is one of the automakers who is committed to using Qualcomm's Snapdragon Digital Chassis.

"You will see the results of our collaboration later this year when we launch our new fully electric SUV" says Volvo's Henrik Green who is now on-screen.

So there's not long to wait to see some early results of the digital cockpit, with Volvo set to pop a huge portrait central display (like you get in the Tesla Model S) and a slender horizontal, landscape digital cluster (like in the Ford Mustang Mach-E), plus a HUD (heads-up display).

Honda is also collaborating with Qualcomm on the digital cockpit.

Qualcomm is also working on some cool car technology, including ceiling displays and e-mirrors for blind spot reduction (although no further information is provided on these).

The digital chassis will also be able to give you real-time interaction with objects outside the car, allowing your vehicle to interact with other vehicles, pedestrians, bikes and street furniture such as lights and crossings.

Basically, your car is going to become more aware of its surroundings. 

There's a new "Snapdragon Ride Vision System" SoC, which can handle multiple cameras, monitor the driver, integrate with parking and map crowd sourcing systems and will be available in vehicles "very soon".

Qualcomm has also partnered with Renault, which has also committed to using the Snapdragon Digital Chassis in future cars.

And that's it for the announcements. Looks like we're going into a Q&A, which isn't going to work so well for us seeing as we're not in the room - perhaps the live stream we will cut off. Let's see.

Nope, stream still going, but we're into Q&As from the live audience.

As far as the live blog is concerned, it's gonna get quite clunky and potentially rather specific, so I'll tip my hat and thank you for joining us on this live blog.

There's plenty more CES 2022 content to come from us today and throughout the rest of the week, so please keep it locked to TechRadar for all the big announcements from the show.

Of course, I'm still watching right to the end, like a good little journalist.

And somebody asks "what is the ceiling display?" Great question. 

Cristiano says "Think about how you redefine the rear seat entertainment, with the ability to have a more immersive experience even when you recline your seats. But I think there will be other use cases for it as well."

Okay, so a display mounted to the headliner. Hardly revolutionary, but I'm a sucker for displays so sign me up.