General Motors Co. has joined with Qualcomm Inc. to develop a driver assistance system that will enable vehicles to operate autonomously 95% of the time, the companies announced today.

The driver assistance system is known as the Ultra Cruise. GM plans to include the Ultra Cruise in several upcoming vehicles, including a fully electric Cadillac sedan that is expected to launch next year.

According to GM, the Ultra Cruise runs on a computer that is about the size of two laptops stacked together. The computer features two Snapdragon SA8540P systems-on-chip from Qualcomm. A system-on-chip is a processor that combines multiple types of computing modules, such as a central processing unit and a graphics card. 

GM and Qualcomm didn’t provide detailed technical information about the SA8540P system-on-chip. However, they did specify that it’s made using a five-nanometer manufacturing process.

The Ultra Cruise’s computer will also feature two additional chips. The first is an artificial intelligence accelerator, also designed by Qualcomm, that is known as the SA9000P. The fourth chip is an Aurix TC397 unit, a microprocessor from Infineon Technologies AG that is specifically built for use in vehicles and can perform tasks such as engine management.

GM said the Ultra Cruise’s performance is equivalent to the combined compute capacity of “several hundred” personal computers. The system will run driver assistance features developed in-house by the automaker.

The collaboration with GM represents a notable customer win for Qualcomm, which is working to grow its presence in the auto sector as part of an effort to expand beyond the smartphone chip market that has historically been its main focus. Qualcomm expects its auto business to achieve annual revenues of $3.5 billion in five years. In a decade, the business is expected to reach an $8 billion annual run-rate. 

“We are very proud of our collaboration with General Motors on one of the industry’s first uses of our Snapdragon SoCs in an automated driving system,” said Nakul Duggal, senior vice president and general manager of Qualcomm’s automotive business. “Ultra Cruise powered by Snapdragon Ride on Cadillac vehicles will be an experiential and technological leap forward for the industry.”  

Qualcomm introduced a line of chips for driver assistance and autonomous driving systems at the start of 2020. Late last year, the company moved to expand its auto product portfolio again by teaming up with SSW Partners to acquire smart car supplier Veoneer Inc. for $4.6 billion. 

Prior to the acquisition, Veoneer set up a joint venture called Arriver with Qualcomm. Arriver is developing a hardware and software system that can be installed in vehicles to equip them with partially autonomous driving capabilities. Qualcomm will absorb the joint venture as part of the Veoneer acquisition, gaining valuable software assets to complement its chips. 

Qualcomm is competing with Nvidia Corp. in the autonomous vehicle chip market. Nvidia is the leading supplier of graphics cards for running artificial intelligence models, which are widely used in autonomous driving systems. The company has built on its AI expertise to build system-on-chip products for vehicles, as well as complementary software offerings.

Photo: Qualcomm