In a report from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Akiko Fujita interviews Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon (QCOM) about the company’s plans to advance on-device AI capabilities, including in-vehicle applications, in 2024.
Amon said he is “very excited” to see Qualcomm enter automotive technology, especially as cars increasingly become “computers on wheels” and offer more immersive user experiences. . He focuses on several key areas including autonomous driving, safety features, and the implementation of the long-awaited generative AI.
When it comes to generative AI in cars, Amon says the goal is to enable personalized vehicles that can talk to their drivers, including setting reminders and acting as a “digital assistant.” Qualcomm aims to power more intuitive in-car interactions through AI, allowing vehicles to adapt to their owners’ preferences and habits over time.
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Editor’s note: This article was written by angel smith
video transcript
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Akiko Fujita: I’m Akiko Fujita from Las Vegas. Her AI on devices will be one of her big focuses at the CES 2024 venue. A car is a large piece of equipment. Now, we’re joined by Cristiano Amon, CEO and president of Qualcomm, which is making significant inroads into the automotive sector. Cristiano, it was just a year ago that you announced the RideFlex system on a chip, which is a big push into the automotive space. What kind of momentum have you seen since then?
Cristiano Amon: I am very happy. We work with almost every company because cars are really becoming computers on wheels. Digital is becoming the most important part of automotive transformation. And the fact that we created this platform, the Snapdragon Digital Chassis, is very well received by all car companies.
And we see that there are a lot of opportunities for innovation. As well as a fully immersive cockpit experience, self-driving safety with driver assistance, connectivity to the cloud, and of course his GenAI on the car.
Akiko Fujita: We ended up talking about GenAI in the car. This is one of the big headlines coming out of CES. What does that mean in terms of user experience?
Cristiano Amon: GenAI plans to develop on a different device or edge than it does in the cloud, and the two will work together. please think about it. Once you get into your car, it will be customized just for you. There are several things that his GenAI offers as a car driver.
First of all, it gives you the opportunity to talk to the car according to the real situation. Think about large language models like ChatGPT while you’re behind the wheel. This is a great interface to get behind the wheel. And you end up talking to the car about where you need to go. Cars remind you of something. Your car becomes a digital assistant that is always with you.
But as cars become hubs of service, other things that happen inside them include things like the car learning about you, recognizing what you’re doing and where you need to go. You will have to do so.
For example, as I mentioned earlier, the car knows what you need. Maybe you have a specific event on your calendar, or you called and need to pick up the groceries. It tells you your future plans. Normally, when you call someone when you get to your car, the car will ask you, as you do every day, would you like to call that person now? Things like that too.
However, the reality is still unknown. I’m very excited. So many developers are bringing new applications. And cars, like cell phones and PCs, will become the next computing platform. You’ll see lots of use cases.
Akiko Fujita: The automotive space is certainly part of this larger shift that we’re seeing within Qualcomm as it diversifies beyond just mobile. Given the potential in this area, how big a revenue driver do you think automobiles will be for Qualcomm?
Cristiano Amon: It’s going to be very big. We announced that we have a contract pipeline of over $35 billion. And by the end of 2020 revenue has exceeded his prediction to reach 9 billion. That means it accounts for a significant portion of Qualcomm’s revenue. As you said, this is a very important step for the company’s diversification and growth.