Drivers expect vehicles to update, adapt and evolve like their smartphones, yet cars often still behave like legacy machines. To help close that gap, Qualcomm Technologies and Harman have collaborated to deliver cockpit solutions that accelerate the consumer-tech transformation of the automotive industry.
The strategic initiative pairs Harman’s market-ready automotive product portfolio with Qualcomm Technologies’ high-performance automotive compute to enable intelligent, contextual and empathetic in-cabin experiences.
The combination of Qualcomm Technologies’ platform and Harman’s architecture aims to enable advanced AI models, real-time ADAS visualization, situational intelligence and empathetic user interfaces that can interpret and respond to driver and passenger emotions, preferences and contextual cues.
The two companies will work together to ensure compatibility between the Harman Ready line-up – a modular market-ready product portfolio that adapts to the evolving needs of consumers and auto makers – and Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon Cockpit Elite platform. Qualcomm Technologies’ compute power will be used to boost the capabilities of Harman products: Ready Engage and its Luna AI avatar for natural and empathetic interactions, Ready Vision QVUE for AR-rich visualization of critical information and Ready Care for AI-based driver monitoring and tailored interventions.
The cockpit solutions, powered by AI acceleration from the in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system-on-chips (SoCs), are initially aimed at auto makers in Europe and China, where demand for intelligent, connected and emotionally responsive mobility solutions is accelerating.
Additionally, the companies are working together to deliver robust, scalable solutions for Harman’s Central Compute portfolio, leveraging Snapdragon Ride Elite and Snapdragon Ride Flex SoC. These platforms introduce a central compute architecture that enables mixed-criticality workloads to run concurrently on a single SoC. They support a wide range of ADAS functions, from perception and sensor fusion to decision-making and actuation.
“This technology collaboration with Harman represents a pivotal moment in automotive innovation,” said Enrico Salvatori, senior vice president and president for Qualcomm Europe/MEA at Qualcomm Technologies. “Together, we’re bringing the power of AI to the cockpit, transforming how drivers and passengers interact with their vehicles.”
“Consumer expectations for their vehicles are evolving as quickly as technology itself, and no one company alone can solve for that,” added Huibert Verhoeven, senior vice president of the intelligent cockpit SBU at Harman. “Partnering with Qualcomm Technologies, we can deliver intelligent, intuitive experiences that continually improve, so the car feels as personal and enjoyable as your favorite device.”
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