In order to accelerate its digital transformation, sports car manufacturer Ferrari announced on Tuesday (February 9th) its intention to collaborate with Qualcomm, the San Diego-based chip giant.
As part of this agreement, the Italian company plans to use the Snapdragon Digital Chassis suite, Qualcomm’s main brand for its automotive solutions. It consists of Snapdragon Ride (for automated driving and assistance technologies), Snapdragon Cockpit (for in-car experiences and SoCs) and Snapdragon Auto Connectivity (for adding LTE, 5G and wifi to cars).
Qualcomm will work with the Maranello firm to “design, develop and integrate Ferrari’s digital cockpits”, which seems to indicate that it will rely on Qualcomm’s hardware for its future infotainment systems. In addition, this partnership will allow the American to sponsor the Formula 1 team Scuderia Ferrari, with the Snapdragon logo to be displayed on Ferrari’s 2022 F1-75 single-seater.
Essential collaborations for the industry
Ferrari isn’t the only automaker keen to leverage Qualcomm’s suite of automotive technologies in one form or another. Volvo, Honda and Renault have already communicated in this direction. Ferrari’s new CEO, Benedetto Vigna, a veteran of the tech industry, said last November that Ferrari would seek technology partnerships as part of a future energy and digital transition. “Innovation requires market leaders to work together. Through this agreement, we are expanding our knowledge in digital technologies and new forms of communication, areas with great potential for automotive and motorsport.”
For its part, Qualcomm recognizes that its automotive technology is still in its infancy and that it will take time before its chips, components and services are as widespread in the automotive world as on the smartphone market.