The News: Last week, Qualcomm hosted its first Automotive Investor Day where CEO Cristiano Amon and other members of the Qualcomm executive team made several announcements including a new partnership with Mercedes Benz, the Snapdragon Ride Flex System-on-Chip, and overall pipeline growth from $19 billion to $30 billion in the last two months. Read more about the announcements from Qualcomm here.
Qualcomm Automotive Investor Day: Enabling the Car of the Future
Analyst Take: Since Cristiano Amon took the helm of the company last year, Qualcomm has been all in on automotive technology. And that was on display at the company’s first ever Automotive Investor Day. The connected car is the way of the future — and Qualcomm knows it.
Qualcomm has increased its automotive design pipeline from $19 billion to $30 billion in just the past two months. This impressive growth is an indicator of just how important Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, infotainment, drive policy, telematics, and digital chassis are and will continue to be for the vehicles of the future.
The Customer List Keeps Growing
In the last few years, Qualcomm has amassed a notable customer list that use the Snapdragon Digital Chassis including Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Jaguar, and Stellantis just to name a few. Joining that notable list is Mercedes Benz.
Nakul Duggal, Senior Vice President and GM, Automotive for Qualcomm announced the new partnership with Mercedes-Benz during his presentation. Mercedes will utilize the Snapdragon Digital Chassis solutions including Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms and Snapdragon Automotive Connectivity Platforms in future vehicles. The advancement will provide drivers with intuitive AI experiences and fast and reliable in-car assistance, making driving a more enjoyable experience than before. We can expect to see these cars on the road in 2023.
Qualcomm is empowering these automakers with next-generation technology that will enable the car of the future. And in doing so are solidifying their stronghold in the market — something I don’t foresee them giving up any time soon.
I recently sat down with Nakul to discuss this. Check out the interview here.
Better Cars Need Better Chips
While the client list and growth announcements were eye-catching, I was most impressed with the Snapdragon Ride Flex System-on-Chip. The super compute SoC will bring together infotainment systems, ADAS, drive policy, digital cockpit functions, cabin experience, and more.
Big announcement here. @Qualcomm launches its super compute SoC bringing together infotainment, ADAS, drive policy, cockpit, cabin experience, and more. #Automotive #QualcommAutoDay $QCOM pic.twitter.com/MeWBwHXrG7
— Daniel Newman (@danielnewmanUV) September 22, 2022
Nakul Duggal, SVP and GM, automotive said during his presentation that Flex has already been designed in multiple car platforms at OEMs and that we can expect to learn more at CES in January. I can’t wait.
In the last seven years, Qualcomm has made unparalleled advancements with the four generations of Snapdragon Cockpit so I can only imagine how this new SoC will make a difference.
The Checklist for the Future
Qualcomm’s growth has been nothing short of astounding and they’re not done. Chief Financial Officer Akash Palkiwala laid out more goals for the short-term including over $1.3 billion in revenue and doubling the design pipeline in the next ten months. Qualcomm is also projecting $100 billion in total addressable market by 2030. Based on the announcements during Automotive Investor Day, I believe they are on the right track to get there.
The aggressive move to diversify the business beyond mobile has paid off for Amon and as I said previously, I don’t see any signs of this slowing. Their strategic partnerships and well-designed SoCs are well positioned to play a critical role in the future of automotive.
Disclosure: Futurum Research is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of Futurum Research as a whole.
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Image Credit: Qualcomm
Author Information
Daniel is the CEO of The Futurum Group. Living his life at the intersection of people and technology, Daniel works with the world’s largest technology brands exploring Digital Transformation and how it is influencing the enterprise.
From the leading edge of AI to global technology policy, Daniel makes the connections between business, people and tech that are required for companies to benefit most from their technology investments. Daniel is a top 5 globally ranked industry analyst and his ideas are regularly cited or shared in television appearances by CNBC, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal and hundreds of other sites around the world.
A 7x Best-Selling Author including his most recent book “Human/Machine.” Daniel is also a Forbes and MarketWatch (Dow Jones) contributor.
An MBA and Former Graduate Adjunct Faculty, Daniel is an Austin Texas transplant after 40 years in Chicago. His speaking takes him around the world each year as he shares his vision of the role technology will play in our future.
