Qualcomm launches Snapdragon Ride Vision System, an open and scalable platform for autonomous driving

Qualcomm Technologies Inc. today launched the latest product in its Snapdragon Ride™ platform portfolio, the Snapdragon Ride™ Vision System , which features a new open, scalable, and modular computer vision software stack built on a 4nm system-on-chip (SoC) to optimize front and surround camera deployments and support advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving (AD). The Snapdragon Ride Vision System integrates a dedicated high-performance Snapdragon Ride SoC and the Arriver next-generation visual perception software stack, using proven hardware and software solutions to provide multiple computing functions to enhance the perception of the vehicle's surroundings, support the vehicle's planning and execution, and help achieve a safer driving experience. As one of the most scalable and open systems in the automotive industry's ADAS and AD fields, the Snapdragon Ride Vision System supports flexible deployment options, from front camera applications that meet entry-level New Car Assessment (NCAP) regulations to higher levels of autonomous driving that require full front and surround camera application support; the system also supports functional safety/safety of intended functionality (SOTIF), helping to achieve universal deployment of various features and requirements in almost all vehicle levels and types. The Snapdragon Ride Vision System offers a unique modular architecture that provides automakers with scalable flexibility, enabling them to integrate map crowdsourcing, driver monitoring systems (DMS), parking systems, cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) technology and positioning modules, thereby supporting greater customization and upward integration.

As the industry embraces a new era of autonomous driving, Qualcomm Technologies anticipates that the industry will have greater demand for automotive solutions that can improve functional safety, especially vision-based perception and sensing software for detecting, classifying and tracking static and dynamic objects. The Snapdragon Ride Vision System integrates the industry-leading Arriver™ vision software stack, keeping up with the requirements of automakers and regulators as well as global safety rating agencies. The system supports customization of many features, including:

• Industry-leading computer vision Uses a camera perception software stack that has been successfully mass-produced for four generations and has more than a decade of R&D experience; achieved the highest performance rating and helped automakers achieve a five-star safety rating in the latest European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP) in 2021

  
  

• High-performance and feature-rich solution designed to provide vehicles with enhanced surrounding awareness, including but not limited to static geometry such as lane markings, traffic infrastructure and guardrails; dynamic objects such as vehicles; vulnerable traffic participants such as pedestrians and cyclists; and traffic sign recognition that meets global regulatory requirements, all based on an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera with a custom neural network architecture

  
  

• Open and customizable system Software Development Kit (SDK) supports the development and integration of driving strategy and driver monitoring solutions to meet specific requirements

  
  

• Snapdragon® Energy Efficient Architecture Delivers industry-leading performance at extremely low power

  
  

• Front camera vision system expansion Adds close-range parking camera perception, from single-focal length to multi-focal length vision systems to improve object detection, while supporting basic and advanced safety features

  
  

• Specialized tool packages Designed for in-vehicle electronic control unit (ECU) development as a reference system scalable to L2-L3 and higher level applications; automotive middleware including secure operating system (OS) and hypervisor, as well as ADAS and artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including sophisticated neural network architecture search (NAS)

  
  

• Supports automakers and Tier 1 suppliers to design and develop solutions using the Snapdragon Ride SDK; supports flexible selection of components, including sensors and maps for positioning

  
  

• Support for future-proof capabilities : The software platform is evolving through agile software development processes to meet industry needs, while the hardware platform supports ecosystem development and OTA upgrades for continuous feature enhancements

Nakul Duggal, senior vice president and general manager of automotive at Qualcomm Technologies, said:

The Snapdragon Ride vision system is expected to be available in mass-produced cars in 2024. The automotive ecosystem can develop next-generation ADAS and AD solutions and their driving strategies using the released Snapdragon Ride™ Software Development Kit (SDK). The development kit is designed to support automakers and Tier 1 suppliers to flexibly develop their driving strategy software stack and integrate components, such as parking and DMS components that can be integrated into the Snapdragon Ride vision system, providing a complete hardware and software environment for rapid development.

The Snapdragon Ride Vision System is a product of Qualcomm Technologies and uses technology from Arriver. Qualcomm Technologies and Arriver share a common goal of developing ADAS/AD solutions to enhance safety.

About Snapdragon Ride Platform

The Snapdragon Ride platform is built on Snapdragon automotive SoC and accelerator products and is a complete portfolio of high-performance central computing and vision system solutions. As a scalable, low-power, high-performance platform, the Snapdragon Ride platform is suitable for all levels of ADAS systems, supporting mass production solutions from NCAP regulatory solutions to top-level L2+/L3 levels. Since its release in 2020, the Snapdragon Ride platform has won the support of global automakers and has gained strong momentum. Currently, these automakers are developing their next-generation models based on this platform. The Snapdragon Ride platform, together with the SoC product portfolio, brings certified forward-looking and surround-view camera system vision software stacks, as well as a driving software stack that is seamlessly integrated with SDK and cloud tool chains. The platform includes multi-sensor fusion, map-based positioning, planning and prediction systems to support driving systems from NCAP to L3.