Qualcomm Technologies (QCOM) is partnering with BMW Group to launch their new Snapdragon Ride Pilot, an automated driving (AD) system that the two companies spent three years developing together.
The state-of-the-art AD system was built on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride system-on-chips (SoCs) using the Snapdragon Ride AD software stack co-developed by both companies.
The system supports AD levels ranging from entry-level New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) to Level 2+ highway and urban navigation on autopilot (NOA) capabilities.
The Society of Automotive Engineers has established five levels of autonomous driving, with Level 0 consisting of features like automated emergency braking and blind spot warnings – and Level 5 being fully automated driving.
Level 2 provides automated steering and brake controls, but the driver must constantly supervise these support features.
The Snapdragon Ride Pilot has been launched in BMW’s iX3, the first production vehicle in the automaker’s Neue Klasse, its new all-electric vehicle fleet.
The BMW iX3 is also equipped with Qualcomm Technologies’ V2X 200 chipset to support vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications for enhanced safety.
V2X communications, which allows vehicles to "see" and "hear" beyond line-of-sight ADAS sensors, is aimed at reducing collisions by essentially allowing direct communication between vehicles and their surroundings to uncover potentially unseen risks.
The Snapdragon Ride Pilot has been validated for use in more than 60 countries with expected expansion to over 100 countries in 2026. It is also available to all global automakers and Tier-1 suppliers through Qualcomm Technologies.
Automakers are key to Qualcomm’s growth strategy
The chip giant said the three-year development project involved 1,400 specialists from across the globe, including Germany, the United States, Sweden, Romania and the BMW AD Test Center in the Czech Republic
The Snapdragon Ride AD software stack features a perception stack developed by Qualcomm and a drive policy engine co-developed with BMW.
Qualcomm notes that the system uses a camera-based vision stack for object detection, surround view, lane recognition, traffic sign interpretation, parking assistance, driver monitoring, and mapping.
Nakul Duggal, group general manager of automotive and industrial & embedded IoT at Qualcomm, said that the companies “anticipate its widespread adoption will drive a new era of innovation and excellence in mobility solutions.”
“Our collaboration with BMW's world-class engineering team has been truly transformative, enabling us to build a world-class system that is now available to bring the safety and comfort benefits of automated driving to consumers across all regions and vehicle tiers," Duggal said.
Qualcomm CFO Akash Palkhiwala told CNBC last month that the company is pursuing “a very aggressive strategy of diversification and growth.”
“We’re looking to grow outside handsets into automotive, where I would argue we’re one of the most important chip suppliers going forward to that industry,” he said.
Qualcomm CFO Akash Palkhiwala tells @CNBC Q3 momentum in automotive & IoT sets stage for 15%+ FY25 non-@Apple growth, with big bets on AI devices, data centers & $1T robotics TAM. pic.twitter.com/IxMl9jaGqN
undefined Qualcomm MEA (@Qualcomm_MEA) August 26, 2025
This diversification outside of handsets is especially important now because although Qualcomm had long been a supplier of chips for Apple’s (AAPL) iPhones, the tech giant is transitioning out of this partnership in order to build its own chips in-house.
Qualcomm’s licensing agreement with Apple is set to expire in 2027.
The company’s shares were flat following the announcement of its partnership with BMW. The stock is up just over 4% for the year.
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