Qualcomm, Wayve partner to accelerate AI-powered self-driving system rollout

Qualcomm and British self-driving startup Wayve said on Tuesday they are collaborating on an integrated artificial intelligence system to help automakers rapidly deploy advanced driver-assistance and automated driving features.

The ‌tie-up combines ⁠Wayve's "AI Driver" ⁠software with Qualcomm's Snapdragon Ride automotive chips and active safety software, creating a platform ​for carmakers to use across models ranging from entry-level systems to advanced automated driving capabilities.

Chipmakers ​and software developers are racing to supply the technology for future vehicles, as automakers seek systems to accelerate the rollout of increasingly automated ​driving features.


The companies said the integrated system aims ⁠to reduce ‌the complexity automakers face when stitching together chips, safety systems ​and AI ​software from multiple suppliers, and will support features from ⁠hands-off assistance to advanced "eyes-off" driving functions as regulations allow.

The ​combined system is designed to scale across vehicle tiers ​and geographic markets, allowing carmakers to standardize underlying technology, the companies added.

Nvidia-backed Wayve develops an AI model using real-world driving data, enabling vehicles to learn driving behavior and adapt to different road conditions and regions without extensive rule-based programming.

Qualcomm, which has been expanding beyond smartphones, ‌said its Snapdragon Ride platform provides the high-performance, energy-efficient processing for advanced AI systems in vehicles while meeting safety standards.

Automakers have ​shown growing ​interest in systems ⁠that can shorten development cycles and allow software updates to expand capabilities over a vehicle's lifetime, the companies said.

Wayve, founded in 2017, is part of ​a new wave of AI-focused autonomous driving developers pursuing software-centric approaches that rely on machine learning rather than heavily map-dependent systems.

The startup raised $1.2 billion last month, valuing the company at $8.6 billion from investors including Mercedes-Benz , Nvidia, Nissan and Uber.