Qualcomm and BMW Group jointly launched a new assisted driving system on Friday. The system, called the Snapdragon Ride Pilot autonomous driving system, debuts on the newly launched BMW iX3 SUV. As part of this collaboration, Qualcomm developed the Snapdragon Ride SoC, while the two companies jointly developed the Snapdragon Ride AD software stack. The chipmaker claims that the advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) can provide up to Level 2+ navigation for highway and urban autonomous driving (NOA).
Qualcomm’s new autonomous driving system debuts on BMW iX3
The chipmaker detailed its newly developed automotive ADAS stack and highlighted its capabilities. The company claims that it supports AD levels from entry-level New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) to Level 2+. As mentioned above, the system debuted in the BMW iX3, the company’s first model in the Neue Klasse. It is said to have been verified for use in more than 60 countries. Snapdragon Ride is expected to expand to 100 countries by 2026.
The development is a global undertaking involving more than 1,400 experts from BMW AD test centers in Germany, the United States, Sweden, Romania and the Czech Republic.
The Snapdragon Ride AD core software stack uses a perception stack developed by Qualcomm and a driving strategy engine co-developed with BMW. Its 360-degree perception uses a camera-based vision system built on Bird’s Eye View (BEV) architecture for object detection, lane recognition and parking assistance.
Qualcomm said Snapdragon Ride Pilot is focused on a “safety-first approach,” introducing standards such as Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL), Functional Safety (FuSa) and Intended Functional Safety (SOTIF). The system balances rules-based artificial intelligence models for advanced situation-aware driving to safely handle complex scenarios. It continuously improves through a cloud-based data flywheel system and supports over-the-air (OTA) updates.
In the BMW iX3, this system acts as the central “autonomous driving super brain”, providing 20 times the computing power of the previous generation. It supports advanced features such as contextual lane changes initiated by driver prompts, hands-free highway driving and AI parking assistance. The vehicle is also equipped with Qualcomm’s V2X chipset, allowing it to communicate with its surroundings to reduce collisions and detect unseen risks.
Qualcomm now offers Snapdragon Ride Pilot to all automakers and Tier 1 suppliers globally.
