Recently, we learned from relevant channels that Qualcomm’s Ride smart driving chip has recently received project designations from Toyota and FAW Hongqi. In addition, Qualcomm is also in contact with other leading domestic car companies. It is reported that models equipped with Qualcomm chips are expected to be mass-produced by the end of 2024 at the earliest, or they may not be produced until 2025.
It is understood that Qualcomm Ride smart driving chip (Qualcomm SA8650) will be launched in 2022 and will be divided into two versions, with AI computing power of 50TOPS and 100TOPS respectively. Qualcomm focuses on the mid-range computing power smart driving chip market and will probably compete head-on with Nvidia and Horizon. Compared with the 254 TOPS computing power of NVIDIA Orin X, there is a gap. However, through the combination of chips and AI accelerators, the Ride chip has a maximum computing power of up to 2000TOPS and has strong performance expansion capabilities.
Currently, car companies that have cooperated with Qualcomm Ride smart driving chips include BMW, General Motors, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, etc. Prior to CES in early 2023, Qualcomm also launched the central computing platform chip Ride Flex (SA8775), which can realize the integrated function of smart driving in the cockpit and is expected to be mass-produced in 2025. It will compete head-on with NVIDIA’s next-generation cabin-driving integrated chip Thor.
