March 10 (Reuters) - Qualcomm and British self-driving startup Wayve said on Tuesday they are collaborating on an integrated artificial intelligence system to help automakers rapidly deploy advanced driver-assistance and automated driving features.
The tie-up combines Wayve's "AI Driver" software with Qualcomm's Snapdragon Ride automotive chips and active safety software, creating a platform for carmakers to use across models ranging from entry-level systems to advanced automated driving capabilities.
Chipmakers and software developers are racing to supply the technology for future vehicles, as automakers seek systems to accelerate the rollout of increasingly automated driving features.
The companies said the integrated system aims to reduce the complexity automakers face when stitching together chips, safety systems and AI software from multiple suppliers, and will support features from hands-off assistance to advanced "eyes-off" driving functions as regulations allow.
The combined system is designed to scale across vehicle tiers and geographic markets, allowing carmakers to standardize underlying technology, the companies added.
Nvidia-backed Wayve develops an AI model using real-world driving data, enabling vehicles to learn driving behavior and adapt to different road conditions and regions without extensive rule-based programming.
Qualcomm, which has been expanding beyond smartphones, said its Snapdragon Ride platform provides the high-performance, energy-efficient processing for advanced AI systems in vehicles while meeting safety standards.
Automakers have shown growing interest in systems that can shorten development cycles and allow software updates to expand capabilities over a vehicle's lifetime, the companies said.
Wayve, founded in 2017, is part of a new wave of AI-focused autonomous driving developers pursuing software-centric approaches that rely on machine learning rather than heavily map-dependent systems.
The startup raised $1.2 billion last month, valuing the company at $8.6 billion from investors including Mercedes-Benz, Nvidia, Nissan and Uber.
(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Vijay Kishore)
