Most car companies are actually "wasting" Qualcomm 8155 chips

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These new cars will be launched at the upcoming 2023 Shanghai Auto Show. Although the specific parameters and details of some of these cars cannot yet be determined, there is a high probability that they all have a "core" - Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155.

Qualcomm is increasingly “unmatched” in the field of smart cockpits. In terms of software and hardware capabilities, Qualcomm has successfully transferred its capabilities from mobile platforms to cars. In addition to its strong capabilities, Qualcomm's reputation is also growing, and the golden signboard 8155 has even surpassed its capabilities itself and has become a "billboard" for some car companies.

However, after experiencing many models equipped with 8155 chips , Pinjia discovered that many car companies are actually "wasting" this chip.

The power of “mobile phone chips” 4 years ago has not yet been fully utilized

Judging from the parameters of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155, it is the "vehicle version" of Snapdragon 855. This chip is also made of 7nm process technology. The CPU uses an 8-core design of 1+3+4. The core uses Kryo485, and the CPU computing power reaches 105K DMIPS, the GPU uses Adreno 640, and the GPU computing power exceeds 1000 GFLOPS.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155

In terms of practical applications, if the early Qualcomm Snapdragon 602A and 820A chips were just "car chips", then the current 8155 and the future 8295 are more suitable to be called smart cockpit chips. The 8155 chip can support the playback of 8-channel 4K videos, and can drive multiple screens in the car through one chip. In addition, the reason why the 8155 chip is a "smart cockpit chip" and not just a car chip is that it can also support computing work in DMS, OMS (driver/occupant monitoring system) and 360 imaging. In addition, voice interaction Functions also make use of the capabilities of the 8155.

It can be seen that as popular new cars have more and more screens and higher resolutions, the 8155 chip has naturally become one of the most convenient development solutions for car companies because of its mature video capabilities.

Although the improvement of video is the most significant, since the release of the "855" chip, the predecessor of the 8155 chip, its emphasized capabilities are more reflected in the terminal-side AI and XR functions. On the car, stronger GPU performance can improve the car's capabilities in gaming and 3D rendering - something that car companies rarely optimize.

Of course, 8155's strength is also thanks to the "set off" of its opponents. NXP, a veteran player in the field of automotive chips, currently has the most advanced Arm processor i.MX 95 that can be used in automotive applications and is still stuck in the 16nm process. After all, chip companies such as NXP and Renesas are not focused on the same areas as Qualcomm. Qualcomm's modification of the mobile phone chips it launched a few years ago is enough to kill everyone. Qualcomm has an absolute advantage in terms of R&D costs and capabilities.

Several other mobile phone chip manufacturers, including Huawei, Kirin, and Apple, need system and ecological binding; while Samsung and MediaTek started late in the automotive chip sector, and their current influence is still relatively small.

8155 is indeed good, but returning to the car is another matter.

Overall experience varies

The overall experience of the car can represent the ability of the cockpit to be intelligent, but the real level cannot just look at the parameters.

Pinjia has experienced many models equipped with 8155 chips in the past. In fact, from the perspective of overall experience level, everyone is different - some are optimized well, while others have not reached the passing level.

For example, it’s just the most basic fluency optimization. The Haval Beast is a model equipped with the 8155 chip. From the experience point of view, first of all, its car and computer applications are very few. When I tested this car, the only car and computer applications were Douyin and the built-in audio and video. iQiyi, Himalaya and QQ Music in the sector. Secondly, the waiting time when opening the App is also difficult to satisfy.

The same problem also appears in models of Great Wall series Euler, Wei brand and other brands. It is mainly reflected in the lack of follow-up. You know, the optimization of mobile phones equipped with Qualcomm 855 chip 4 years ago is much higher than this. .

The resolution of the central control screen of these cars is only 720P, and the number of applications is very small. There is no video experience in itself, let alone playing games. If this is just the experience, it would be redundant to use the 8155 chip of the previous generation 820A.

It should be hard for you to imagine that mobile phones equipped with flagship chips in 2019 do not even have the most basic smoothness.

Of course, this kind of problem does not only occur to a certain car company. For example, the two car models below are equipped with the 8155 chip. The left and right sliding movements are not very smooth. The overall use of the car model is not very smooth, and the number of applications is small. The picture below is a model equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 chip. Compared with the 8155 chip, it is slightly weaker, but the smoothness of the car is actually higher, and the applications are also richer.

This reflects that in the era of smart cars, software-defined cars are really not an empty talk.

We would like to emphasize that configuration is only a small part, the most important thing is optimization. For example, when the ZEEKR 001 was initially delivered, the problem of car engine lag would occur. Although Jikrpton later replaced the 8155 chip for free for all car owners, in fact, before the chip was replaced, the car engine had already been updated after the ZEEKR OS 2.0 update. There has been a significant improvement - this is actually more of the effect of optimization and improvement.

In fact, although Jikrypton 001, Ford Electric Horse and other models have launched core replacement plans, this does not mean that the 820A chip used in these two cars is lagging behind, because the old Xpeng P7, Ideal ONE and other models are still using it. This chip and the experience of using the car are also very satisfactory. Although free core replacement is a way to quickly improve the user experience, it also reflects from the side that car companies still need to improve their software research and development capabilities.

When it comes to software, many car companies plan to exploit another loophole - although the current car and machine are still "poor and useless", they can all be upgraded through later OTA . Therefore, burying the 8155 chip in advance is for future consideration. The truth is correct, but is it really an OTA upgrade? According to the February 2023 OTA monitoring monthly report jointly released by the Passenger Car Association and Wilsonart, the OTA updates of Haval, Euler, WM, Nezha and other brands within one year (February 2022 to February 2023) Only once. In comparison, the number of OTA updates per year for new brands that invest heavily in cars and machines can reach about 7-11 times.

Image source of OTA monitoring monthly report in February 2023: Official website of Passenger Transport Association

Pinjia believes that each car company has a clear understanding of its own software research and development capabilities and vehicle and machine level. So why use a chip that far exceeds your needs? It's because, to a certain extent, the 8155 chip has become a marketing necessity.

Only talk about hardware, not optimization

The current situation facing car companies is: if we are not equipped with 8155 chips, it seems that we will be "falling behind."

In fact, this is also a wrong concept - it's just that the current smart cars are too bulky.

Some car companies are not interested in 8155. For example, in terms of domestic brands, BYD is a unique one. Many models are equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 series and 7 series chips. Denza D9 even chose Qualcomm Snapdragon, a 6nm process chip that is "a step above" the 8155 chip. Dragon 7325. Although these chips are not of automotive grade, there is no requirement that vehicle computers or smart cockpits must use automotive grade products. After all, vehicle computers do not directly affect driving safety, and can be compensated for by adding some safety redundancy. The chip's security shortcomings.

It is rare for joint venture brands to choose 8155 chips. Especially for luxury brands, except for Audi, which has previously used Qualcomm's 820A chip, Mercedes-Benz and BMW have not used Qualcomm chips. They will take more into consideration the current car and machine needs and costs to choose the appropriate chip. There are also joint venture brands that have chosen chips with good performance. For example, some models of the Volkswagen ID series use Samsung Exynos Auto V9 chips. The capabilities of this chip are no worse than 8155, but Volkswagen, which is not intelligent enough, rarely publicizes the relevant chips. The chip thing.

It can be seen that even if most traditional forces are not strong enough in terms of intelligence, they do not bother to let suppliers stand for their own products. And from a cost perspective, the 8155 chip is not only about twice as expensive as traditional car chips, but car companies also need to pay Qualcomm a considerable "post-support fee" and entry fee.

After entering the era of smart cars, some car companies began to emphasize batteries , chips, lidar and other hardware and their suppliers. Even an 8-inch touch screen used to adjust seats must be specifically stated that it uses the 8155 chip.

Image source: Buick Century official website

is this necessary? Not in terms of performance, but there is in terms of marketing.

After entering the era of smart cars, new forces have launched a challenge to the old forces. In this challenge, some people have come up with real smart cockpits, which continue to evolve and beat the traditional forces in several positions. Some people are still using fuel vehicles. The thinking of the times is to use hardware to make a fuss.