Visteon and Qualcomm to develop next-gen digital cockpit

Chipmaker Qualcomm has partnered with US-automotive electronics maker Visteon Corporation to develop a high-performance cockpit domain controller. The controller will be designed to enable global automakers to build next-generation cockpits. The announcement was made ahead of the consumer electronics show (CES 2023) that begins on January 5th in Las Vegas, US. 

Visteon supplies parts for automotive cockpits, including displays for instrument clusters, infotainment systems, and sensors. Its SmartCore cockpit domain controller software is a solution that integrates key automotive cockpit system functions, including digital instrument clusters and Android-based infotainment, with cloud-enabled applications. SmartCore also includes advanced vision processing capabilities to offer surround vision, driver monitoring and remote surveillance through a smartphone app. 

"The automotive cockpit is emerging as a critical competitive battleground for the industry, and Visteon's SmartCore software platform offers a complete solution to address the consumers' demand for a user experience that matches their expectations," said Sachin Lawande, President & CEO of Visteon. 

Qualcomm said that it is targeting 2025 production vehicles as the first to receive the Snapdragon Ride platforms, as Nakul Duggal, senior vice president and GM, automotive, Qualcomm Technologies, said that the company will “continue to work with Visteon in bringing advanced capabilities and functionalities to next generation vehicles through SmartCore and our Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms”.  

Meanwhile Visteon told Mint in September 2022 that it expects to start manufacturing automotive displays at its factory in Chennai from early 2023. Visteon plans to double its engineering headcount in India to 4,000 engineers across six technical centres this year. 

In December 2022, Visteon inked a collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to deliver its AllGo connected vehicle technology utilising AWS world-class cloud capabilities. AllGo is designed to meet the growing global demand for software-defined vehicles having the latest software, and safe and convenient ways to access app-based content in a smart, connected cockpit. 

The collaboration utilises multiple AWS technology solutions across internet of things (IoT), storage, and compute categories and a fast, secure cloud environment to handle critical connected vehicle activities and create the car’s own digital ecosystem.  

The San Diego-based company has also unveiled a new Snapdragon Ride Flex system-on-a-chip on Wednesday. Qualcomm said that the Ride Flex is built on its digital cockpit and advanced driver assistance platforms and helps deal with workloads on the same hardware.