Qualcomm has taken the opportunity provided by this year’s CES 2018 expo to show off its joint efforts with Japanese auto manufacturer Honda. The exhibit features a 2018 Honda Accord with several of the tech giant’s platform features in place. The main purpose of the exhibit is to highlight the latest features allowed by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Automotive Platform. In this particular case, that includes in-vehicle infotainment and navigation, as well a Qualcomm 4G LTE modem designed to support the automaker’s Hondalink vehicle connectivity system. More specifically, the vehicle being exhibited, according to Qualcomm, puts front and center its latest efforts to improve the in-car experience made possible via Snapdragon – encompassed by the technology found on the consumer-facing side of the equation.
It showcases music and video streaming, 3D navigation, GPU performance, support for multiple high-resolution displays, and the associated 2D and 3D graphical interfaces. Moreover, it provides a real-world example indicating how far the company has come with regard to optimization on its portfolio’s diverse underlying architecture. However, the newly released Honda Accord 2018 is also a great example of other platform inclusions. So the exhibit serves as means for Qualcomm to draw attention to its current endeavors as that pertains to further innovations in the automotive sector and in next-generation vehicles which are happening more behind the scenes with this vehicle.
Billing its Snapdragon Automotive Platform portfolio as a “Premium-tier” product, Qualcomm’s exhibit also shows off that platforms’ machine learning capabilities which include the Snapdragon Neural Processing Engine driving the whole system. The company says that the represented solution is highly energy-efficient but is simultaneously very powerful. That allows for a more comprehensively blended mix of intelligence, comfort, convenience, and design. Additionally, it includes connected vehicle features such as 4G LTE, as well as being ready for incoming 5G networking. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, and Global Navigation Satellite System are currently supported as well. Finally, Qualcomm says the platform already includes support for features that will be required when the incoming wave of autonomous vehicles hits the market. Those are currently optional on its Auto Platform and include Direct Short-Range Communication (DSRC) and Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) communications.