At CES 2017, Qualcomm Technologies announced the integration of Qualcomm Technologies chipsets in the next-generation of Volkswagen AG vehicles.
The chipsets include the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820A processor for advanced infotainment systems, as well as the Snapdragon X12 and X5 LTE modems, for connected car and telematics systems.
Qualcomm Technologies is working closely with Volkswagen AG and other industry leaders to develop and produce infotainment and telematics systems in the automotive industry.
Volkswagen AG vehicles featuring the Snapdragon 820A processor are expected to be available in 2019, while vehicles utilising Snapdragon X12 and X5 LTE modems are expected to be available in 2018.
“The global automotive industry is currently experiencing an unparalleled acceleration in technology innovation driven by tremendous possibilities in the connected car. Qualcomm Technologies is well-positioned to deliver the cutting-edge automotive connectivity and compute solutions needed to drive the industry forward,” says Patrick Little, senior vice-president and GM for automotive at Qualcomm Technologies.
“We are honoured to work shoulder-to-shoulder with Volkswagen AG and its network of suppliers to design and deliver industry-leading solutions that will help define next-generation user experiences and accelerate the future of automotive.”
As infotainment systems become more relevant in purchase decisions, select lines of Volkswagen AG vehicles will be powered by the Snapdragon 820A processor, Qualcomm Technologies’ most advanced automotive grade processor, custom-built with highly optimized cores designed for heterogeneous computing.
The processor is based on a 14nm FinFET advanced process node running on Qualcomm Technologies’ custom 64-bit Qualcomm Kryo CPU, Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU and Qualcomm Hexagon 680 DSP Vector eXtension. Additionally, the Snapdragon 820A processor is designed to allow the infotainment system to be upgradable through software updates, allowing vehicles to be upgraded with the latest features and differentiation.
Connectivity remains a key technology in providing exceptional in-car experiences as high-quality cloud connectivity is necessary to support critical features, such as over-the-air updates, navigation with real-time updates, news and local information, emergency assistance and diagnostics.
Connected car and telematics systems in select Volkswagen AG vehicles will utilize the Snapdragon X12 LTE and X5 LTE modems. Both modems have been designed with leading LTE connectivity to support fast downloads, swift application performance, as well as provide enhanced thermal efficiency and optimised power consumption.
The Snapdragon X12 LTE modem supports global carrier aggregation (CA) for download speeds of up to 600Mbps, upload speeds of up to 150Mbps, while the Snapdragon X5 LTE modem supports Category 4 speeds across global TDD and FDD radio frequency bands.
In addition to LTE features, the multimode modems provide support for all major 3G/2G cellular standards, on-chip integration of global positioning (GNSS) support for all major constellations, and a 1GHz processor with Linux and built-in software for key global regulatory mandates, such as EU eCAll and ERA Glonass.
The Snapdragon X12 LTE and X5 LTE modems also inter-work with CSR6030, an 802.11 b/g/n chipset to support WiFi Direct dual AP and dual self-service identifier operations.
“As we look at the future of the automotive industry, we see mobile technologies at its core, and connectivity as its foundation” says Dr Volkmar Tanneberger, head of electrical and electronic development at Volkswagen. “Utilising Qualcomm Technologies’ expertise and leadership in mobile technologies, we look forward to having our next generation of automobiles feature highly advanced telematics and infotainment systems that support superior connectivity for the security and safety of our consumers, as well as high bandwidth support for autonomy and multi-media capabilities.”