Qualcomm accelerates advanced driver tech with Arriver acquisition

Qualcomm Technologies has completed its acquisition of Arriver from investment firm SSW Partners, claiming to have enhanced its ability to deliver open, fully integrated and competitive advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to automakers and tier-1 suppliers at scale.

Qualcomm will incorporate Arriver’s Computer Vision, Drive Policy and Driver Assistance assets into its Snapdragon Ride Platform portfolio, building on its previous collaboration with Arriver when it was owned by automotive technology provider Veoneer.

In October 2021, in a bid to further advance its automotive portfolio, Qualcomm entered into a joint venture with SSW Partners to acquire Veoneer in a $4.5bn deal. At the time, Qualcomm and SSW said their transaction structure would facilitate the long-term success of all Veoneer’s businesses, acquiring all Veoneer’s outstanding capital stock and agreeing to sell its Arriver business to Qualcomm shortly after closing the deal, retaining Veoneer’s tier 1 suppliers. 

SSW will lead the process of finding what it calls “strong, long-term” strategic partners. This came just weeks after French car manufacturer Renault announced that it would use Veoneer’s Snapdragon automotive cockpit platforms to power its advanced infotainment system.

Qualcomm’s automotive offer is based on Snapdragon Ride Platform, a portfolio of high-performance central compute and vision systems featuring a family of system-on-chip (SoC) and accelerator products designed to address the automotive ecosystem’s growing need for a scalable and upgradable integrated software SoC to provide functional safety.

In addition to its ability to scale across a wide range of vehicle types, the Snapdragon Ride Platform’s modularity is intended to provide the flexibility to leverage software functionality developed by automakers.

Also as part of closing the transaction, Veoneer and Qualcomm will expand their strategic collaboration. They have signed a new agreement that ensures the continuation of service and support for customers and details their future collaboration on roadmap alignment and technology cooperation in the development of advanced driver assistance systems.

Veoneer and Qualcomm will further engage in joint go-to-market activities, including on-the-road demonstrations of combined Qualcomm/Arriver-Veoneer advanced ADAS solutions for L2+ and beyond.

“As we become a key technology partner to the automotive industry, Arriver’s Driver Assistance assets will accelerate our efforts to deliver a leading ADAS solution as part of our Snapdragon Digital Chassis platform,” said Nakul Duggal, senior vice-president and GM, automotive at Qualcomm Technologies.

“We remain committed to offering advanced solutions for all vehicle tiers and levels, and with Arriver’s Driver Assistance assets now part of the Snapdragon Ride Platform, we are better positioned to power the future of autonomous driving. We are thrilled to welcome the talented team from Arriver.”