Qualcomm is just about everywhere these days, and they’re looking to expand their already fairly sizable presence in the automotive space with the launch of the innovative and detailed Drive Data platform for connected cars alongside the specialized Snapdragon 820Am processor to run the platform. The platform’s base component is basically a huge array of different sensors that can collect an insane amount of data on the condition of the car, driver, road, and environment in real time. The kicker is that Qualcomm is looking into what can be done with this data, ways to relay it as it’s being collected, and how best to benefit from the data being shared both among cars on the road and with third parties.
Marking up yet another CES advancement that will seriously benefit from the successful and widespread rollout of 5G, Qualcomm’s new processor and platform are planned to be able to not only collect and relay massive amounts of data, but to interpret that data according to a program or automatically. For example, a car’s movement data, speed, GPS positioning, and environmental data could be used to determine its exact location down to the meter. Companies that take advantage of fleets could use the data to monitor their vehicles and drivers, as well. Naturally, ultra-precise mapping based on tons of different variables comes to mind, too. Even feeding and sharing the kind of data that could spell the difference between a self-driving car hesitating in snow or getting through a blizzard with zero issue is feasible.
These, of course, are only a few examples of what the new Drive Data platform could do, out of potentially millions. New apparatus to collect new sets of data can always be conceived and added on later, and new players could find new ways to make use of such incredibly detailed data. So far, very few customers have stepped up to the plate and committed to the platform, with Audi being the biggest name out of that crowd. In the end, how this sort of data collection expands and how the data is used will be determined by developers, customers, and, to a far lesser extent, drivers.