Qualcomm partners with BMW to launch Snapdragon Ride Pilot autonomous driving system

Qualcomm – the 'big guy' in the mobile chip industry – has just joined hands with German carmaker BMW to introduce a new self-driving system called Snapdragon Ride Pilot. This is an AI-based self-driving solution, now available to all global car manufacturers. The BMW iX3 electric car will be the first car equipped with this technology.

Over the past three years, Qualcomm and BMW have been working together to develop the Snapdragon Ride Pilot autonomous driving (AD) software suite, which runs on the Snapdragon Ride SoC family of chips designed specifically for cars. Qualcomm says the technology has been validated in more than 60 countries and is expected to expand to more than 100 countries by 2026.

Snapdragon Ride Pilot combines software and hardware to deliver 360-degree visibility, supporting object recognition, traffic signs, lanes, parking assistance, and driver monitoring. The system uses both rules and AI models to predict the behavior of surrounding vehicles and handle complex situations. Part of this is based on cameras and Bird-Eye-View (BEV) architecture that allows for a bird's-eye view of the environment around the vehicle.

According to Qualcomm, Snapdragon Ride Pilot supports a wide range of safety standards, from basic NCAP to Level 2+ with Navigation on Autopilot (NOA) for both highways and urban driving. Depending on the needs, automakers can deploy from a cost-effective configuration with a single camera to a high-end multi-camera and radar system.

The system is continuously improved with real-world data, synthetic data, and AI simulations. It also supports OTA (Over-the-Air) updates and comes with an SDK for automakers to customize features according to their needs.

In the BMW iX3 Neue Klasse, Snapdragon Ride delivers 20 times faster processing performance, using high-resolution cameras, radar and advanced GPS. The car will have features such as contextual lane change, active overtaking, highway driving assist, parking assistant and in-cabin camera monitoring.

Samuel Daniel

Update 15 September 2025