Maruti Suzuki, India's largest automotive manufacturer, is partnering with Qualcomm for the use of the new Snapdragon Elite automotive chips in its fleet of future vehicles, according to a report. While the exact motive behind this reported partnership between the Indian subsidiary of the Japanese automaker and the US chipmaker remains unknown, it is speculated that Snapdragon's new automotive chips could power a host of advanced safety systems, connected car technologies and other features in Maruti Suzuki's smart cars of the future.
Notably, this development takes place after Qualcomm already confirmed partnerships with other Indian automakers, including Tata Motors and Mahindra & Mahindra.
Snapdragon Chips in Maruti Suzuki Cars
At the Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii last month, Qualcomm announced two new chipsets tailored for the automotive industry: Snapdragon Cockpit Elite and Snapdragon Ride Elite, as part of the Snapdragon Digital Chassis Solution portfolio. According to a SmartPrix report, this alliance will see either of these Snapdragon chips being used in Maruti Suzuki cars.
The Snapdragon Cockpit Elite chip can power advanced digital experiences while the Ride Elite chip supports automated driving capabilities. Qualcomm says automakers can combine both of these functionalities on a single SoC courtesy of a unique flexible architecture. The chips could support features like infotainment systems, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), real-time driver monitoring and lane and parking assistance in vehicles, although it remains unconfirmed.
Both chips are equipped with an Oryon CPU, an Adreno GPU and a Hexagon NPU. Using these processors, platforms can target up to three times faster CPU and up to 12 times faster artificial intelligence (AI) performance compared to the previous flagship generation for in-vehicle experiences. The chips support over 40 multimodal sensors, including up to 20 high-resolution cameras for 360-degree coverage. They use AI-enhanced imaging tools for delivering optimised images and are compatible with the latest and upcoming automotive sensors and formats.
Qualcomm says both Snapdragon Cockpit Elite and Snapdragon Ride Elite will be available for sampling in 2025.
