In the latest part of its stated commitment to using connected technologies to boost safety, vehicle drive, infotainment and passenger/driver experiences, BMW Group has inked an agreement with Qualcomm Technologies, for the provision of compute silicon for BMW Group’s next-generation digital cockpit and advanced driver assistance and automated driving systems (ADAS/AD) over the course of the next decade.
With its four brands – BMW, Mini, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad – the BMW Group claims to be the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles, as well as premium financial services. The firm’s production network comprises over 30 sites worldwide, and it has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
The deal is designed to establish a hardware basis for BMW Group to deliver next-generation artificial intelligence (AI-)powered experiences. It comes as the global automotive industry accelerates towards electrification and software-defined vehicles, with automotive services also reliant on connected technologies.
Qualcomm Technologies added that the agreement also reflects years of technical collaboration and ability to deliver compute performance and AI capabilities that BMW Group’s most demanding vehicle programmes require.
From an individual technology basis, the deal includes the Qualcomm Technologies Snapdragon Digital Chassis solutions, encompassing its system-on-chips (SoCs), the Snapdragon Elite automotive platform and dedicated AI accelerators.
Built after more than two decades of investment in automotive-grade silicon and software, the Digital Chassis solutions are each purpose-built for their domain yet designed to work together on a common architecture, enabling the vehicle to function as a unified intelligent system.
Nakul Duggal, executive vice-president and group general manager of automotive, industrial and embedded IoT and robotics at Qualcomm Technologies, noted that the “versatility and performance depth” of the Snapdragon Digital Chassis has enabled both BMW and Qualcomm to continually expand the scope and ambition of what they build together.
“We are proud to partner with BMW Group and to contribute to its vision of the next-generation vehicle,” he said. “Being selected as its lead compute silicon provider for the digital cockpit and automated driving reflects the trust BMW Group has placed in our technology and roadmap. As agentic and physical AI drive a new generation of intelligent vehicles, this collaboration enables both companies to define the future of mobility.”
The agreement also builds on the November 2025 commercial launch of Snapdragon Ride Pilot in the BMW iX3, the first vehicle in BMW Group’s Neue Klasse programme. Co-developed by both companies, Snapdragon Ride Pilot powers BMW’s Symbiotic Drive experience, integrating the driver into the automated driving system in a way that is uniquely BMW in the automaker’s latest vehicle generation.
The ADAS system in the BMW iX3 is built on Snapdragon Ride, which integrates automotive-grade systems-on-chip (SoCs) for centralised sensor data processing, advanced computer vision modules for perception; and Snapdragon Ride AD software stack co-developed with BMW, which includes drive policy and safety guardrails.
The AD system is built on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride system-on-chips (SoCs) using the Snapdragon Ride AD software stack co-developed by both companies. The system is engineered to meet the “highest safety standards” and supports AD levels ranging from entry-level New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) to Level 2+ highway and urban navigation on autopilot (NOA) capabilities.
