Thursday, January 15, 2026
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Google have announced a major expansion of their long-standing collaboration, reinforcing more than a decade of joint innovation in the automotive sector. This strengthened alliance establishes a robust foundation for the next phase of automotive transformation, enabling faster innovation cycles, quicker time-to-market, and new capabilities powered by agentic AI as vehicles become increasingly software-defined.
At the center of this expanded collaboration is a comprehensive, end-to-end automotive technology stack that seamlessly integrates Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon Digital Chassis™ with Google’s automotive software ecosystem. Together, the companies aim to help automakers design next-generation vehicles that can better anticipate, respond to, and adapt to driver needs through scalable and secure AI-powered experiences. As a result, millions of vehicles worldwide are expected to benefit from smarter, more personalized mobility solutions.
The partnership between Qualcomm Technologies and Google dates back over ten years, beginning with Snapdragon-powered embedded Android infotainment systems. This early work played a critical role in accelerating the adoption of Android Automotive OS (AAOS) and enabled the industry’s first vehicles featuring Google built-in. Building on this foundation, the companies continue to collaborate closely with Google Cloud to simplify the deployment of advanced AI agents, including Gemini Enterprise for Automotive—an evolution of the Automotive AI Agent (AAA).
As part of the expanded relationship, Qualcomm Technologies and Google are redefining intelligent mobility for the generative AI era. Showcased at CES 2026, new AI-powered solutions connect vehicles to the cloud through a flexible hybrid architecture that blends on-device and cloud-based models. This approach enables real-time personalization, accelerates the rollout of advanced voice-driven and proactive assistants, simplifies regulatory compliance, and reduces overall development costs. Consequently, drivers gain access to safer, smarter, and more adaptive vehicles with always-on, multimodal AI experiences.
In parallel, the two companies are introducing a unified reference platform designed to accelerate innovation and streamline production for automakers. By aligning Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms with Google’s AAOS roadmap—starting with Android 17—this platform supports faster prototyping, improved quality assurance, and scalable development for next-generation software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and in-vehicle infotainment systems.
Additionally, Qualcomm Technologies and Google are partnering to scale AAOS for SDVs through an architecture that combines on-device software with cloud-based development environments. As the lead scaling partner, Qualcomm delivers pre-integrated and optimized AAOS SDV software on Snapdragon Digital Chassis platforms, helping automakers shorten development timelines and deploy a unified software stack across vehicle generations. This approach supports granular over-the-air updates, premium consumer experiences, and AI-powered vehicle and fleet insights.
Further accelerating development, Qualcomm Technologies has introduced the Snapdragon vSoC virtual platform on Google Cloud, enabling automakers to design, test, and validate automotive software entirely in the cloud. By leveraging Google Cloud’s Arm-based Axion bare metal instances, developers can collaborate globally and scale development efficiently—without relying on physical vehicle hardware.
To simplify long-term software management, Qualcomm Technologies is also introducing Project Treble for Android Automotive OS lifecycle management. This initiative supports predictable upgrades, reduced fragmentation, enhanced security, and a 10-year update plan across multiple Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms, ultimately delivering consistent, up-to-date experiences for drivers throughout a vehicle’s lifecycle.
“Our decade-long journey with Qualcomm Technologies has consistently pushed the boundaries of automotive innovation, and we are thrilled to deepen this strategic partnership even further,” said Patrick Brady, vice president, engineering, Google. “As the automotive industry rapidly evolves into an AI-powered, software-defined future, our continued collaboration is more critical than ever. This collaboration allows us to integrate our leading software and AI capabilities with Qualcomm Technologies’ foundational hardware, creating a unified, scalable platform that will accelerate development for automakers globally and ultimately deliver safer, smarter, and more personalized experiences for every driver.”
“For over 10 years, Qualcomm Technologies and Google have been at the forefront of transforming the automotive experience, and today marks a new chapter in that journey,” said Nakul Duggal, executive vice president and group general manager, automotive, industrial and embedded IoT and robotics, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “This expanded collaboration is significant to Qualcomm Technologies as it unites our industry-leading Snapdragon Digital Chassis platforms with Google's unparalleled software and AI expertise. Together, we are building foundational technology platforms that empower automakers to innovate at an unprecedented pace, accelerate the transition to software-defined vehicles, and unlock the full potential of agentic AI, ultimately enabling automakers to deliver safer, more intelligent, and truly personalized mobility for consumers worldwide.”
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