Qualcomm Pushes to Put 5G in Cars With Second-Gen Snapdragon Auto System

BARCELONA—Qualcomm has big ambitions for the connected car market. With the potential to bring cellular services to the tens of millions of new cars sold annually, the company announced its Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2 System at Mobile World Congress. The new system has 50% more processing power and is 40% more power-efficient than the first-gen system, which Qualcomm says will lead to faster, more reliable connectivity in cars around the world.

The Gen 2 5G system joins Qualcomm’s recently refreshed Snapdragon Digital Chassis(Opens in a new window). It’s an advanced modem that supports up to 200MHz of network capacity to make sure cars remain connected with low-latency signal. The end goal is to make possible a range of in-car safety, entertainment, and productivity experiences. Yes, we’re basically talking about streaming your favorite content to your car.

The new modem is more powerful, with a quad-core CPU. It’s safer, thanks to increased support for connected emergency services and even remote connections beyond the reach of typical cell networks. It’s cheaper, because more functions are able to run directly on the modem thereby reducing component costs. It’s better for navigation, thanks to improved location accuracy, safety alerts, and autonomous driving features. And it’s business-friendly, with support for telematics, car-to-cloud services, and car-to-everything connectivity.

What remains to be seen are exactly what types of features will be enabled by automakers. Qualcomm is bringing the connectivity, but it will be the car makers that determine what drivers get to do when behind the wheel.

Qualcomm says the Snapdragon Auto 5G Modem-RF Gen 2 System is sampling now and should be available commercially by late 2023. It will likely be 2024 before cars ship with the new connectivity platform.