The newly unveiled BMW iX3 Neue Klasse, showcased at the IAA Mobility last week, will be equipped with Qualcomm’s latest automated driving (AD) system, the Snapdragon Ride Pilot. This advanced technology brings hands-free highway driving, automatic lane changes, and intelligent parking assistance to the electric SUV.
Developed through a collaboration between BMW Group and Qualcomm, the Snapdragon Ride Pilot is powered by the chipmaker’s Snapdragon Ride system-on-chips. It supports a wide range of AD capabilities, from entry-level New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) functions up to Level 2+. However, the system does not offer self-driving, and the driver is still responsible for supervising the vehicle’s movements and paying attention to the road while these features are in use.
The software stack is organised into multiple layers that work together to enable the vehicle’s autonomous capabilities. Among the key features is 360-Degree Perception, which leverages camera-based vision for object detection, surround view, lane recognition, traffic sign interpretation, parking assistance, driver monitoring, and mapping. Perception performance is further strengthened through bird’s-eye-view (BEV) architecture, advanced fisheye camera data extraction, and optimised camera-radar fusion.
Another core element is the Safety-First Approach, which ensures compliance with the highest standards, including Automotive Safety Integrity Levels (ASIL), Functional Safety (FuSa), NCAP, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS), and Driver Control Assistance Systems (DCAS). Finally, the system integrates Advanced Context-Aware Driving, a feature that enables behaviour prediction and planning to safely manage intricate and dynamic driving scenarios.
The Snapdragon Ride Pilot is not exclusive to BMW, as Qualcomm has also made the system available to global automakers and Tier-1 suppliers. It has already been validated for use in more than 60 countries, with plans to expand coverage to over 100 countries by 2026.
In addition, Snapdragon Ride supports over-the-air (OTA) updates and offers full customisation through the Snapdragon Ride SDK. This means automakers can adapt and refine the system to suit the specific models in which it is integrated.
(Source: Qualcomm Press Release)
