Qualcomm leverages the engineering expertise of India to mold its global automotive strategy
India is making steady progress in the adoption of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs), although it lags behind leaders like China in deploying fully integrated SDVs on the road. The country is navigating this transition with a fragmented, three-track approach, balancing cost concerns with innovation ambitions.
This transformation is not just about technology, but also collaborative scale, ensuring components, software, and feature sets align with local market requirements and production volumes. Companies like Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra are leading this charge, with Qualcomm playing a significant and strategic role in the Indian SDV market.
Qualcomm has evolved from a component supplier to a holistic technology partner, promoting a "Make in India, For India, and For the World" approach. At its 2025 Auto Day in India, Qualcomm introduced several innovative solutions tailored for the Indian market.
Qualcomm's Innovative Solutions for India
- Snapdragon Digital Chassis Workbench: A cloud-native development environment that enables virtual SoC testing with AWS, drastically reducing development validation time.
- Snapdragon Ride platform: A cost-optimized solution designed specifically for India’s high-volume, cost-sensitive two-wheeler segment, offering features such as nearby charging station assistance, service alerts, and theft prevention.
- Snapdragon Ride Flex SoC: This unifies cockpit and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) on a single chip, significantly lowering costs and enabling scalable SDV solutions.
- Car-to-Cloud platform: For real-time telematics and predictive maintenance, along with AI-powered in-car features like a natural language voice assistant using FYI.AI.
Qualcomm is positioning India as a hub for affordable, scalable SDV technologies, addressing the cost and market readiness challenges with solutions customized to Indian conditions.
Collaboration with Indian OEMs
Mahindra is collaborating with Qualcomm on zonal architecture, enabling modular software upgrades without disrupting hardware, which is critical for Indian OEMs seeking long-term flexibility in a cost-sensitive environment. Mahindra's work with Qualcomm's compute platforms, such as the Snapdragon 8295, enables the offering of scalable feature sets, from 360-degree vision to multi-screen cockpits.
Maruti Suzuki is transitioning toward digitalized platforms and is committed to offering digital cockpit and connected solutions even in high-volume segments. Royal Enfield is deploying bike-to-cloud platforms for diagnostics, tracking, and remote upgrades.
Qualcomm is expanding its focus to two-wheelers, particularly through partnerships with companies like Royal Enfield. The company is also engaged in regulatory discussions and pilot projects related to V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) infrastructure, indicating growing momentum in this area.
In summary, India is rapidly advancing toward the adoption of software-defined vehicles, with Qualcomm playing a key role by providing adaptable, cost-effective platforms that support both two- and four-wheeler segments, accelerating the country’s integration into the global SDV ecosystem.
- India's automotive industry, with key players like Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra, and Royal Enfield, is collaborating closely with Qualcomm to develop cost-optimized solutions like the Snapdragon Ride platform for two-wheelers, addressing India's market-specific challenges and bolstering its position in the global software-defined vehicle market.
- Beyond the automotive sector, Qualcomm's innovative solutions, such as the Car-to-Cloud platform and the Snapdragon Digital Chassis Workbench, are laying the foundation for advancements in India's transportation and technology industries, aiming to make the country a hub for affordable, scalable SDV technologies that cater to various transportation needs.
