CES 2018: Jaguar Land Rover picks Qualcomm to power in-car connectivity

Jaguar Land Rover is to incorporate Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon 820Am automotive platform into its future models to power telematics, information and entertainment, and connectivity services across its range of vehicles.

Announced at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the partnership will see Jaguar Land Rover use Qualcomm to integrate 4G long-term evolution advanced (LTE-A), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity with the platform’s satellite navigation and “automotive dead reckoning” features to help cars become more aware of their surroundings, support road safety and, in the longer term, offer full autonomy.

Meanwhile, “infotainment” and digital cluster systems in future Jaguar Land Rover vehicles will also be powered by a separate 820Am platform to connect in-car services for drivers and passengers, such as voice telephony and rear-seat entertainment systems.

Qualcomm claims the 820Am platform – which contains a Snapdragon X12 LTE modem – is capable of supporting network speeds of up to 600Mbps. It also incorporates vehicle sensor integration and computer vision to support driver assistance using a neural processing engine.

“As the automotive industry moves towards 5G, premium automotive solutions like the Snapdragon 820Am automotive platform will help us bring ultra-fast connectivity and high-performance computing to our Jaguar Land Rover line-up,” said Nick Rogers, executive director of product engineering at Jaguar Land Rover.

“Jaguar Land Rover customers demand some of the most premium experiences the automotive industry can offer, and using our most advanced automotive platform available will help meet such high expectations,” said Nakul Duggal, vice-president of product management at Qualcomm Technologies.

“As computing and connectivity innovations continue to be critical components to next-generation vehicles, we look forward to working with Jaguar Land Rover in delivering premium in-vehicle experiences for its customers,” Duggal added.

Jaguar Land Rover, which sold 583,000 vehicles in 2016, plans to spend over £4bn on new product creation in the next 12 months. Ahead of the UK government’s proposed ban on the sale of all petrol or diesel-powered vehicles in 2040, it has already committed to electrify its entire range by 2020, embracing both fully electric and hybrid vehicles. Two years ago it ploughed over £5m into a Living Lab, a 41-mile stretch of road in the Midlands, where it is testing autonomous vehicle technology.

At the same time, Qualcomm announced it was extending its partnership with Japanese carmaker Honda to incorporate its Snapdragon automotive platform to support in-vehicle infotainment and navigation, as well as its 4G LTE modem into 2018 Honda Accord models. It also established a new collaboration with a Chinese battery and electronics manufacturer BYD, which is planning to launch its own line of electric vehicles in 2019.