The Road to Autonomous: Numerous Pit Stops and Configurations

How can automakers keep up with consumer demand for unique features and new use cases in connected vehicles? Innovative manufacturers are redesigning their electronics and digital architecture to favor the continuously evolving, software-defined vehicle. It gives them almost unlimited opportunities to innovate and monetize in the future while offering consumers more options and greater safety as the software improves and evolves over time.

Here are three perspectives for automakers trying to meet consumer expectations as we move towards greater autonomy in consumer vehicles:

1. As cars become part of consumers’ digital life, the vehicle experience will be defined more through artificial intelligence (AI) and compute horsepower than mechanical horsepower. A vehicle equipped with a digital chassis and connected to the cloud has the potential to become a unique experience on wheels. Consumers can customize and upgrade their car throughout its lifecycle in response to differentiated offers from the manufacturer. Cloud-connected vehicles, continuously sensing and processing information from their surroundings, are ripe for deep consumer engagement and personalization. Car buyers get the flexibility to incorporate advanced driver assistance (ADAS) features and digital services into vehicles when they are ready for them.

2. ADAS features will not be the one-size-fits-all solution. ADAS features will include a continuum of capabilities progressively impacting safety, comfort, and convenience. Automakers can expand on the rear-view backup camera in new vehicles to offer more robust driver assistance with additional cameras, multiple radars, and lidar for higher levels of autonomy. Having the right sensors, computing power, and AI software will be essential for supporting enhanced perception around the vehicle so it can plan and help improve safety in ever-changing driving conditions. Furthermore, manufacturers will also have to fine-tune these ADAS solutions to the specific regulatory environments of different geographies.

3. This sensor-equipped connected computer on wheels opens several services and monetization models for OEMs. The connected processing also becomes an up-to-the-second source of data for various applications. A new multi-layer framework of maps is emerging, which is critical to autonomous driving. As these maps are used by vehicles to sense their environments better, the cars' perception can also detect discrepancies, allowing for an up-to-the-second update of these HD maps. Additionally, these perception mechanisms can inform traffic management and emergency response databases. The results are more efficient transportation systems and Improved safety for all road users with this additional intelligence.

Now is the time for manufacturers to differentiate and own the consumer experience in the vehicles they produce. The digital chassis at the heart of the software-defined vehicle allows for new customization, allowing automakers to extend their reach into the vehicle. With the opportunity to make car ownership more convenient, manufacturers can offer services such as predictive maintenance, entertainment, location tracking, and alerts. They can also build a full range of features to avoid collisions and prevent injuries.

Join Anshuman Saxena, senior director of product management at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., to learn how automakers can optimally use new technologies driving change in the automotive industry. He will describe how a modular approach to ADAS encompassing hardware and software will allow OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and software vendors to build flexible and scalable ADAS solutions https://event.on24.com/. Qualcomm is engaged in long-term, working relationships with automakers to help drive the digital transformation of the automotive industry. Using the Snapdragon® Digital Chassis™ and our broad technology expertise can help ease automakers’ transition. Learn more at qualcomm.com/automotive.

Snapdragon Digital Chassis is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.