Qualcomm, BMW Launch Snapdragon Ride In iX3

Two technological components—the Snapdragon Ride Pilot and the Snapdragon Ride Automated Driving software stack—form the foundation of the all-new BMW iX3’s ADAS system.

On Friday, September 5, Qualcomm announced a new automatic driving (AD) technology that was created in collaboration with BMW.

The Snapdragon Ride Pilot is a cutting-edge AD system that runs on a software stack that was jointly created by the two firms and is powered by Qualcomm’s system-on-chips (SoCs). The recently released BMW iX3, the first production vehicle in the German automaker’s Neue Klasse line, has the technology installed.

The Snapdragon Ride Pilot can also be integrated into automobiles by automakers and Tier-1 suppliers worldwide. However, according to a press statement from Qualcomm, it has only been approved for usage in 60 countries, with plans to expand to over 100 by the following year.

“We have been able 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 thanks to our collaboration with BMW’s world-class engineering team,” said Nakul Duggal, Group GM, Automotive and Industrial & Embedded IoT, Qualcomm Technologies.

“We have developed a revolutionary system in collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, which significantly contributes to the major technological advancement we make with our Neue Klasse. By working together, we were able to create a state-of-the-art driver aid system that has raised the bar. “Our new BMW iX3 will deliver on this on an unprecedented level,” stated Dr. Mihiar Ayoubi, senior vice president, Development Driving Experience, BMW Group. “Smart, symbiotic, and safe are at the heart of the BMW concept when it comes to ADAS.

Below the hood

Two technological components—the Snapdragon Ride Pilot and the Snapdragon Ride Automated Driving software stack—form the foundation of the all-new BMW iX3’s ADAS system. Snapdragon Ride Pilot combines sophisticated computer vision modules for perception with high-performance, automotive-grade systems-on-chip (SoCs) for centralized sensor data processing.

The AD system, which has a 360-degree field of vision, employs a camera-based vision stack for mapping, parking assistance, traffic sign interpretation, lane identification, object detection, surround view, and driver monitoring. Low-level perception and novel techniques for information extraction from fisheye cameras are made possible by its bird-eye-view (BEV) architecture.

Because Snapdragon Ride Pilot uses both rule-based and AI models for behavior prediction and planning, it also makes sophisticated context-aware driving possible. According to the business, Snapdragon Ride Pilot is completely customizable using the Snapdragon Ride SDK and supports over-the-air (OTA) updates.

Stack of software

In order to allow automakers and Tier-1 suppliers to create their own scalable solutions on top of the Snapdragon Ride AD software stack, Qualcomm and BMW have also developed a turnkey platform.

Over 1,400 experts from Germany, the USA, Sweden, Romania, and the BMW AD Test Center in the Czech Republic worked for three years to design the software stack, which includes several layers. Over the course of the vehicle’s life, the software stack adapts and makes possible increased safety and comfort by utilizing fleet data.

It consists of a drive policy engine co-developed with BMW and a perception stack created by Qualcomm. By combining artificial intelligence (AI)-based simulations of diverse driving situations with real-world data, the software stack improves the training and testing of automotive models.

Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon Ride Pilot AD system was created in compliance with a number of safety guidelines and requirements. To help protect against any dangers, it also has threat detection, multi-layered encryption, and cybersecurity capabilities. “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, and it is designed to meet the highest safety standards,” Qualcomm stated.

The possibilities of the BMW iX3

The BMW iX3 can do the following with the Snapdragon Ride Pilot AD system:

• Subtle driver indications, such as steering nudges or mirror glances, might be used to guide maneuvers.
• Driving hands-free on authorized road networks
• AI-driven parking assistance with slot identification and camera-based in-cabin surveillance
• Additional automated driving features

A “superbrain” for automatic driving is also included with the BMW iX3. A variety of high resolution 8M and 3M pixel cameras and radar sensors make up this system’s “unified architecture, which enables 360-degree coverage, along with high-definition mapping and precise GNSS localization.”

Qualcomm’s V2X 200 chipset, which enables vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications and enables cars to “see” and “hear” outside line-of-sight ADAS sensors, is also included in the iX3. According to the business, this lowers crash rates by identifying hidden hazards through direct communication between cars and their environment, including other road users, pedestrians, and road infrastructure.

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