As if the “World’s Fastest Mobile CPU” tag on the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip wasn’t enough, Day 2 of Qualcomm’s annual Snapdragon Summit 2024 in Maui, Hawaii also saw the introduction of the company’s updated automotive platforms powered by the second generation Qualcomm Oryon CPU (similarly used in Snapdragon 8 Elite), but now tailored for automotive safety and reliability. These upgraded platforms are part of the Snapdragon Digital Chassis portfolio (introduced in 2022) that also encompasses Snapdragon Auto Connectivity and Snapdragon Car-to-Cloud.

Vehicle manufacturers will soon have the option to utilise the Snapdragon Cockpit Elite platform to power advanced digital experiences, and the Snapdragon Ride Elite platform to power automated driving capabilities for their latest car models. Both chips, which Qualcomm refers to as platforms, are targeting 3x faster CPU and up to 12x stronger AI performance for enhanced safety and in-vehicle experiences, compared to the previous flagship generation of CPUs by Qualcomm.
“Qualcomm Technologies remains at the forefront of innovation with platforms like Snapdragon Cockpit Elite and Snapdragon Ride Elite, as the automotive industry evolves towards centralized computing, software-defined vehicles and AI-driven architectures,” said Nakul Duggal, group manager, automotive, industrial, and cloud, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

“With our strongest performing compute, graphics and AI capabilities, coupled with industry leading power efficiency and cutting-edge software enablement for digital cockpits and automated driving, these new elite Snapdragon automotive platforms address the industry’s needs for higher compute levels, empowering automakers to redefine automotive experiences for their customers.”
Here are some of the key highlights of the Snapdragon Cockpit Elite and Ride Elite:
- Accelerated AI Performance – The dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU), designed for multimodal AI, is targeting a 12x performance boost over previous cockpit platforms, enabling real-time external environment and cabin data processing. Thereby allowing for live decision-making, adaptive responses, and proactive assistance, catering for a personalised in-cabin experience.
- Greater Power Efficiency – Qualcomm utilises a combination of intelligent power management hardware and software that balances core utilisation and application runtime to deliver peak performance while keeping energy consumption as minimal as possible.
- Intuitive Experiences – The platforms are engineered to enable hands-free automated driving that anticipates needs, along with real-time driver monitoring and enhanced object detection for a smoother ride. Its improved Qualcomm Adreno GPU is targeting to deliver a 3x performance boost with advanced rendering capabilities to cater for gaming, multimedia, and dynamic driver information.
- Focus on Safety – Designed to meet the highest level of automotive safety standards for ASIL-D systems with a dedicated safety island controller and robust hardware architecture for isolation and interference-free operation, helping to ensure reliable quality-of-service for specific ADAS functions, as well as comfort and confidence from drivers and passengers.
- Autonomous Driving and AI Software – The Snapdragon Ride Elite platform will offer an end-to-end automated driving system with advanced features like vision perception, sensor fusion, path planning, localisation, and complete vehicle control, all running concurrently, independently and free from interference. Similarly, Snapdragon Cockpit Elite will support rich multimedia features, on-device AI, optimised gaming and advanced 3D graphics.

The Snapdragon Cockpit Elite and Snapdragon Ride Elite platforms will be available for consumer sampling in 2025. At the moment, both Mercedes-Benz and Li Auto are currently confirmed to be adopting the new Qualcomm platforms in their 2025 lineup of vehicles.