Qualcomm Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, is working with TomTom on using the Qualcomm Drive Data Platform for high-definition (HD) map crowdsourcing for autonomous driving.
Qualcomm Drive Data Platform collects and analyzes data from different vehicle sensors, supporting smarter vehicles to determine their location, monitor and learn driving patterns, perceive their surroundings, and share this perception with the rest of the world reliably and accurately.
TomTom’s HD Map, including RoadDNA, is a highly accurate, digital map-based product that assists automated vehicles to precisely locate themselves on the road and help determine which way to maneuver, even when traveling at high speeds.
Traditional development of maps requires deploying dedicated fleets of vehicles equipped with professional-grade sensors to collect location, raw imagery, lidar and other data, which is then transferred, stored and processed in data centers. Now that cars are increasingly connected and equipped with a range of sensors, new and complimentary approaches become possible.
Using the precise positioning, on-device machine learning, heterogeneous compute and connectivity capabilities of the Qualcomm Drive Data Platform, which features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820Am automotive processor, TomTom and Qualcomm Technologies aim to facilitate adding an improved, scalable and cost-efficient crowdsourcing approach to the mix of sources for HD mapmaking.
The new concept is designed to allow massive numbers of connected cars to see and understand their environment, traffic and road conditions, and support real-time input for map and road condition updates.
“Feature-rich, highly accurate and frequently updated HD maps are critical to support some of the most advanced applications envisioned in the automotive industry, especially for autonomous driving,” said Willem Strijbosch, head of autonomous driving, TomTom. “We are building the cloud-based platform to make and maintain HD maps using a range of input sources, including crowdsourced data from swarms of intelligent connected vehicles. We’re excited to explore the connectivity and compute capabilities of the Qualcomm Drive Data Platform to help map the world for the future of driving.”
“Qualcomm Technologies is demonstrating today that an affordable and easy-to-integrate mapping solution for autonomous vehicles is realizable,” said Nakul Duggal, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “The Qualcomm Drive Data Platform is designed to integrate key technologies into a cost-effective edge compute solution required to support safer, highly connected and smarter transportation, and we are pleased to offer this technology for HD Map providers such as TomTom as well as automakers, shared mobility service providers and automotive industry at large.”
For more information about the Qualcomm Drive Data Platform, visit the Qualcomm booth at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Feb. 27–March 2, Hall 3, Stand 3E10, or go to www.qualcomm.com/automotive.
Qualcomm Technologies Inc. has introduced a new variant of its connected car reference platform using its flagship gigabit class Snapdragon X16 LTE modem to help car manufacturers deliver the high-speed, high-quality and reliable connectivity required for advanced telematics and connected vehicle services — supporting peak download speeds up to 1 Gbps.
Qualcomm is showcasing the variant at CES 2017, which is being held Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Building on the Company’s leadership supplying 3G/4G LTE modems for automotive, the reference platform is designed to allow carmakers to quickly and easily integrate the broad range of additional wireless and networking technologies required in today’s vehicles, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy and GNSS, with optional support for DSRC and Cellular-V2X.
The platform also includes a module reference design for the Snapdragon X16 LTE modem to help automotive suppliers accelerate development and improve time-to-commercialization.
Highlights of the new connected car reference platform include:
Gigabit Class LTE cloud connectivity: The Snapdragon X16 LTE modem supports Gigabit-class download speeds, up to 10x as fast as first generation 4G LTE devices. The modem is designed to employ sophisticated digital signal processing to pack more bits per transmission with 256-QAM, receives data on four antennas through 4×4 MIMO, and supports for up to 4x Carrier Aggregation. All of this comes together to support peak download speeds up to 1 Gbps, helping satisfy the connectivity needs and use cases of the next generation of connected vehicles including high-definition map updates, connected navigation with real-time traffic and road condition information, software upgrades, Wi-Fi hotspot and multimedia streaming.
In-car networking and satellite navigation: The connected car reference platform also integrates Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2, Bluetooth Low Energy 4.2, sensor support for stolen vehicle tracking and recovery, quad-constellation GNSS and 3D Dead Reckoning (DR) location solutions, with optional support for vehicle-to-everything communications using DSRC/802.11p or Cellular-V2X. The solution is designed to manage concurrent operation of multiple wireless technologies using the same spectrum frequencies. In addition, the reference platform features in-vehicle networking technologies such as Gigabit Ethernet with Automotive Audio Bus (A2B), Controller Area Network (CAN) and Local Interconnect Network (LIN) interfaces.
OEM and third-party applications support: Qualcomm Technologies also provides a security-rich framework for the execution of custom OEM and third-party telematics applications. The simplified access to tightly-integrated apps processing functionality is designed to help automakers and service providers handle the increasing number of use cases requiring connectivity — simultaneously in many cases — and quickly prototype, develop and deliver unique and differentiated experiences to their customers.
Qualcomm Technologies has also developed a reference hardware module in two different band configurations, North America and Rest of World (including Europe). The module design is engineered to support up to four antennas to utilize the 4×4 MIMO capabilities of the Snapdragon X16 modem and reach the peak download speeds of up to 1 Gbps. This can help accelerate the time-to-commercialization of this flagship device and the Company is working with module manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers to further optimize 2-antenna and 4-antenna configurations aiming to meet cost-effectiveness and size requirements of specific automakers, specific segments and use cases.
“Connected cars are becoming intelligent sensors on the road, not only using data for consumer use cases such as Wi-Fi hotspots and video streaming, but also collecting and transmitting critical, rich real-time information about road conditions, map updates and driver status,” said Patrick Little, senior vice president and general manager, automotive, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “As a leader in car connectivity, Qualcomm Technologies is well positioned to address the tremendous data demand, helping automakers integrate the broad set of technologies required by a new generation of connected vehicles.”
The new connected car reference platform using Snapdragon X16 LTE modem, including its corresponding reference module, is expected to be available in the first half of 2017.
All major global automakers currently use products from Qualcomm Technologies’ broad portfolio of automotive solutions, including the Company’s flagship Snapdragon automotive processors and modems.
Across telematics, infotainment and connectivity, Qualcomm Technologies has achieved more than 150 automotive design wins, and car manufacturers across the globe have selected Snapdragon processors for their next generation infotainment solutions. To learn more, please visit Qualcomm Technologies’ automotive booth at CES, north hall, booth #5609, or visit qualcomm.com/automotive.
The GNSS market landscape is expanding due to the rapid growth of GNSS-enabled wearables and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) coupled with new innovation opportunities around low-cost precision GNSS, according to ABI Research’s latest GNSS IC vendor report.
In its latest GNSS IC vendor competitive analysis, ABI Research determines Broadcom and Qualcomm remain the two top IC vendors for the fourth year in a row with a mere two points separating MediaTek in third from u-blox in fourth.
New threats emerge to shake up the landscape in the years ahead, though, with CEC Huada and Samsung now companies to watch, the report said.
“MediaTek and u-blox once again swapped places,” said Patrick Connolly, Principal Analyst at ABI Research. “U-blox had another stellar year financially and, along with Skytraq, led the way on low-cost precision GNSS with its NEO-M8P module. MediaTek, which showed significant success in wearables and smartphones, transitioned back to third place primarily due to growing market share.”
Broadcom and Qualcomm remain the two top GNSS IC vendors. Within the past year, Broadcom spurred more headlines with its wearables success and its initial work on L1/L5 dual-frequency receivers. Qualcomm continues to lead in total GNSS shipments, as well as innovative new technologies like LED/VLC and LTE Direct, according to the report. Its partnership with Baidu on its IZat platform is also notable and represents the beginning of the era of “always on, ubiquitous location technologies.”
But the incumbents are not the only players to watch in this evolving market. CEC Huada and Samsung sit poised to instill great change in the market landscape, as their innovation over the past 12 months serves to prove.
“CEC Huada developed single frequency RTK GPS, as well as BDS receivers and INS/MEMS receivers, which the company released to select customers in 2016,” Connolly said. “And it is now developing a dual frequency BDS receiver and a receiver for IRNSS. Samsung, meanwhile, launched its first embedded GNSS solution, the Exynos CPU chipset. Given its presence across so many GPS-enabled consumer electronic devices, the company looks set to be a major disruptor in the coming years.”
Qualcomm Technologies Inc. and AT&T will test unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) on commercial 4G LTE networks.
The trials will analyze how UAS can operate safely and more securely on commercial 4G LTE and networks of the future, including 5G. The research will look at elements that would impact future drone operations.
CTIA Super Mobility 2016 attendees can catch a video demonstration at Qualcomm’s booth in the 5G Zone. Matt Grob will showcase the benefits of LTE-based drone operation during his keynote at 9 a.m. PDT on Sept. 8.
The team will look at coverage, signal strength and mobility across network cells and how they function in flight. The goal of the trials and ongoing research is to help enable future drone operations, such as beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), as regulations evolve to permit them.
The trials will begin later this month at Qualcomm Technologies’ San Diego Campus, with testing to take place at its FAA-authorized UAS Flight Center and test environment. The center contains real-world conditions including commercial, residential, uninhabited areas and FAA controlled airspace. The facility permits testing of the use of commercial cellular networks for drones without affecting AT&T’s everyday network operations.
In April, Qualcomm Technologies’ San Diego Campus received an FAA certificate of authorization to perform outdoor testing of drones.
The ability to fly beyond an operator’s visual range could enable successful delivery, remote inspection and exploration. Wireless technology can bring many advantages to drones such as ubiquitous coverage, high-speed mobile support, robust security, high reliability and quality of service (QoS), Qualcomm said in a press release.
“The trial with a carrier with the reach and technology of AT&T is a significant step in the development of connectivity technologies for small unmanned aircraft systems (SUAS), including optimization of LTE networks and advancement of 5G technology for drones,” said Matt Grob, executive vice president and chief technology officer, Qualcomm Technologies. “Not only do we aim to analyze wide-scalable LTE optimization for safe, legal commercial SUAS use cases with beyond line-of-sight connectivity, but the results can help inform positive developments in drone regulations and 5G specifications as they pertain to wide-scale deployment of numerous drone use cases.”
“Many of the anticipated benefits of drones, including delivery, inspections and search and rescue will require a highly secure and reliable connection,” said Chris Penrose, senior vice president, IoT Solutions, AT&T. “With a focus on both regulatory and commercial needs, LTE connectivity has the potential to deliver optimal flight plans, transmit flight clearances, track drone location and adjust flight routes in near real-time. Solving for the connectivity challenges of complex flight operations is an essential first step to enabling how drones will work in the future.”
The UAS trials will be based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon Flight drone development platform, which is designed to offer superior control and navigation capabilities. Already in use in some commercially available drones, the platform offers high fidelity sensor processing, precise localization, autonomous visual navigation and 4K videography all in an integrated, light-weight model suitable for consumers and enterprises.
Savari Inc., a V2X (vehicle-to-everything) communication and safety technology company, is showcasing its advanced V2X safety communications solutions at TU-Automotive Detroit, taking place June 8-9 in Novi, Michigan.
At the show, Savari will be hosted by Qualcomm Technologies and will offer live demonstrations in Qualcomm booth #C69. The live demonstrations simulate real-life automotive traffic scenarios and how in-car V2X applications make driving safer and more efficient. It will feature predictive applications such as intersection movement assist (IMA), forward collision warning (FCW), blind-spot warning (BSW) and lane-change warning (LCW).
Savari’s and Qualcomm’s V2X technology delivers superior reliability compared to other solutions, eliminating the need for cameras that require line of sight, and ensuring lane level accuracy up to 0.6 mile/1 kilometer of communication range. These capabilities make V2X suitable for for future transportation initiatives, including self-driving cars.
A pioneer in V2X safety communications technologies, Savari delivers a suite of solutions that enable connected vehicles to interact with other vehicles, roadside infrastructure, smartphones and pedestrians, the company said.
Savari has achieved more 400,000 hours of public testing of its on-board units, covering more than 15 million miles traveled. Savari is also an active participant in major public U.S. smart city testbeds, with more than 90 percent of currently installed road-side-units, covering 130 public square miles.
Qualcomm Technologies, Tencent and Zerotech announced and demonstrated at CES 2016 a commercial drone based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon Flight platform. The Consumer Electronics Show is being held this week in Las Vegas.
Tencent, China’s largest Internet service portal, and drone maker Zerotech have co-designed Ying, a small, lightweight drone that can be easily controlled right from a smartphone, leveraging the companies’ advanced software, and the computational power of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, making it easy to capture video that can be streamed directly to your friends using QQ and Wexin.
The Ying drone uses the Snapdragon 4K capture to “supersample” the video image, providing a stabilized, corrected video and picture recording at 1080P as well as first person view at 720p that can be directly streamed or uploaded to Tencent’s drone social community platforms Weixin and QQ. Weixin (“we chat”) is a mobile text and voice messaging communication service developed by Tencent in China, first released in January 2011.
“We continue to bring a range of new research and development products to meet the needs and demands of our customers across various industries,” said Jianjun Yang, founder of Zerotech. “We’re excited to work with two companies who are technology leaders in their space — Qualcomm Technologies who has brought their mobile expertise to the consumer drone industry, and Tencent with its popular social networks, to bring a lightweight, highly integrated consumer drone that enables users to share their photos and videos instantly with their friends.”
“The consumer drone market is expected to soar in the next few years, and Ying is a good example that shows how Tencent is working closely with the fast growing drone market by enriching use cases of our core and leading social communication services,” said Roland Cai, vice president, IEG, Tencent. “Zerotech’s expertise in UAV manufacturing and, Qualcomm Technologies’ highly integrated drone development board coupled with our social networking platforms allows us to provide our hundreds of millions of active users with a competitive price on a high quality drone such as Ying that can share their experiences in real time.”
Snapdragon Flight is a highly optimized 58 x 40 millimeter board targeted specifically for consumer drones and robotics applications. Snapdragon Flight is based on the Snapdragon 801 processor, with GPS, 4K video capture and robust connectivity, along with advanced drone software and development tools, bringing cutting-edge mobile technologies to create a new class of consumer drones.
“Consumer drones are becoming the ultimate selfie camera but with advanced capabilities such as 4K capture and high performance computing and connectivity,” said Raj Talluri, senior vice president, Qualcomm Technologies. “We are tapping into our proven mobile technologies for the exciting drone opportunity and teaming up with Zerotech and Tencent enables us to support smaller, smarter drones that deliver real-time content to China’s largest social media network.”
CES attendees can check out the Ying and other drones and robotics at the Qualcomm Technologies Booth #25824 in South Hall. Attendees can also attend the official launch event for the Ying at Zerotech’s Booth #26035 in South Hall on Jan. 7 at 11 a.m. PT.
Qualcomm Technologies has introduced its latest Qualcomm Snapdragon automotive processors, the Snapdragon 820 Automotive family, offering a scalable next-generation infotainment, graphics and multimedia platform with machine intelligence and a version with integrated LTE (long-term evolution)-Advanced connectivity.
The Snapdragon 820A is Qualcomm Technologies’ newest automotive-grade system-on-chip (SoC). Qualcomm Technologies has taken a modular approach to designing the Snapdragon 820A, enabling a vehicle’s infotainment system to be upgradable through both hardware and software updates, thereby enabling vehicles to be easily upgraded with the latest technology.
The Snapdragon 820A’s sensor integration provides cognitive awareness and vehicle self-diagnostics, supports ADAS features for improved vehicle safety systems, and provides location and navigation through GNSS and dead-reckoning technologies.
Qualcomm Technologies is demonstrating the upgradeable module at the Qualcomm Automotive booth, North Hall #915, at CES 2016, being held in Las Vegas this week.
The Snapdragon 820A family is based on 14-nm FinFET advanced process node running Qualcomm Technologies’ custom 64-bit Qualcomm Kryo CPU, Qualcomm Adreno 530 GPU, Qualcomm Hexagon 680 DSP with Hexagon Vector eXtension (HVX), Qualcomm Zeroth machine intelligence platform, and the Snapdragon 820Am version with integrated X12 LTE modem capable of 600 Mbps downlink/150 Mbps uplink. The 820A is engineered with custom-built, highly optimized cores designed for heterogeneous computing — the ability to combine its diverse processing engines within the SoC, such as the CPU, GPU and DSP cores, to achieve previously unattainable performance and power savings.
The Zeroth initiative, a machine intelligence platform on Snapdragon 820A, is designed to enable automakers to develop state-of-the-art deep learning-based solutions using neural networks for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and in-vehicle infotainment scenarios, and run them efficiently on embedded platforms in the vehicle. Zeroth accelerates execution of deep neural networks using the heterogeneous compute engines that are part of the Snapdragon 820A. A Zeroth-powered development kit for automotive solutions will be available for the Snapdragon 820A.
“With the Snapdragon 820 Automotive processing platform, we are delivering an unprecedented level of performance and technology integration designed to significantly enhance the consumer’s safety and in-vehicle experience. Never before has the unparalleled combination of integrated LTE cloud connectivity, powerful heterogeneous computing, leading-edge multimedia performance and breakthrough machine learning capabilities been delivered in a single chip, fully integrated, automotive grade solution,” said Patrick Little, senior vice president and general manager, automotive, Qualcomm Technologies.
“The automotive industry has long been asking for a single scalable solution capable of delivering the rich user experience and level of performance, connectivity and upgradability that consumers are accustomed to on their personal mobile devices,” Little said, “including real-time cloud connectivity and navigation, immersive 4K graphics and video displays, the flexibility of hardware and software upgradability, and the deep learning and remote diagnostic capabilities needed to deliver the next level of safety performance in the vehicle. The Snapdragon 820 Automotive platform has been designed to deliver all of these capabilities and much more.”
The version with integrated X12 LTE modem is designed to support continuous in-car and cellular connectivity, featuring the leading 4G LTE Advanced Pro that can support up to 600 Mbps download/150Mbps upload speeds, stream HD movies into the car, serve as a Wi-Fi hotspot supporting 802.11ac 2×2 MIMO, connect multiple mobile devices inside the car, and support 802.11p DSRC for V2X (vehicle to vehicle/infrastructure/pedestrian) communications. Local connectivity inside the car via Bluetooth supports content sharing between mobile devices brought into the car and the car’s infotainment system.
Qualcomm Technologies is also helping to lead the 3GPP in developing specifications for automotive V2X, for both LTE release 14 (LTE V2X) and 5G standards.
“Like Qualcomm Technologies, AT&T is committed to the connected car and takes a similar approach to technology development with the AT&T Drive platform, offering a global, modular solution to automakers to enable best-in-class user experiences for their drivers,” said Chris Penrose, senior vice president, Internet of Things, AT&T Mobility. “We design our solutions to provide better connectivity, flexibility and upgradability on our network, and Qualcomm Technologies’ development of the Snapdragon 820A Smart LTE Module is a prime example of this same approach to technology.”
By integrating advanced camera and sensor processing, the 820A supports critical always-on warnings and emergency services, extends standard cameras to Intelligent Cameras, and supports parking assist periphery vision features using surround view cameras. These features are supported by the on-chip Hexagon 680 DSP with HVX, which supports multiple automotive camera sensors connected simultaneously.
The Snapdragon 820A family of automotive-grade processors is designed for the automotive ecosystem and offers these features:
Scalable and modular platform offering pin, package and software-compatibility, with optional integrated LTE capability that is hardware and software upgradeable as wireless network technology evolves.
Supports vertical tiering options by offering the Snapdragon 820A family across premium to standard performance configurations.
Comprehensive software support for QNX, Linux and Android, as well as substantial platform-level integration of high value sub-systems to respond to the acceleration in refresh cycles while managing cost.
The connectivity, multimedia and graphics capabilities allow many real-time cloud based features, including streaming multimedia, enterprise collaboration, real-time maps and location services, remote diagnostics and one-touch telematics, with substantial potential for performance, connectivity and multimedia innovation for auto OEMs.
The upgradability option allows a wireless operator to offer an 820A Smart LTE Module concept for the version with an integrated modem that allows cellular connectivity to be updated through both hardware and software when new features become available on the cellular network.
Qualcomm Technologies is also collaborating with Aisin AW to develop the modular infotainment solution utilizing the Snapdragon 820A. “We expect the 820’s powerful features will deliver superior processing power, graphics performance and low power consumption demanded by next generation infotainment systems,” said Kyomi Morimoto, managing officer, Aisin AW.
Automotive samples of the 820A family are expected to be available in the first quarter of 2016. A number of concept vehicles and demonstrations based on the Snapdragon 820A, from Qualcomm Technologies and other automotive industry leaders, will be shown in the Qualcomm Automotive booth, North Hall #915 at CES 2016.
ABI Research’s competitive analysis evaluates GNSS IC vendors across innovation and implementation parameters
The GNSS market is slowly shifting in new directions, according to ABI Research. While the smartphone market continues to grow, new opportunities are also emerging in automotive, insurance, wearables, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Overall, the GNSS market is forecast to continue to grow strongly, with ubiquitous location and market-specific IC design as key differentiators.
In its latest competitive analysis of GNSS IC vendors, ABI Research evaluates a variety of innovation and implementation parameters to determine emerging competitive threats and technologies, the companies best positioned for success and those in danger of losing out.
Unchanged for the past three years, the market’s two top IC vendors remain Qualcomm and Broadcom, soon to be acquired by Avago. Both companies continually illustrate the ability to lead the way on cutting-edge innovation, which in turn drives their dominant market-share position, ABI Research said.
Beyond just GNSS, both companies also offer comprehensive location technology platforms in HULA (Broadcom) and Izat (Qualcomm), which will enable smartphone OEMs to begin offering ubiquitous location in 2016. Qualcomm’s work on LED/VLC and LTE Direct illustrates the gap that now exists between it and pure-play GNSS IC vendors.
u-blox, a well-established GNSS IC company, has shown continuous growth each year by implementing new technologies and making acquisitions, culminating in its first ever third place ranking, ABI Research said. The company continues to lead the way in its core markets, while also expanding into the emerging IoT space.
“The big surprise this year has been MediaTek dropping to fourth place,” said Patrick Connolly, principal analyst at ABI Research. “This is primarily due to a lack of new GNSS or indoor location products. However, this did not affect its IC market share, or its ability to win an important GNSS IC win with Fitbit in wearables. MediaTek has a history of delivering when its customers need new innovation. As a result, ABI Research expects new product announcements from the company in 2016, especially around indoor location.”
Ranking fifth, STMicroelectronics is seeing customers migrate to its TESEO III platform. Its modular, high-performance approach should also enable it to move beyond its traditional markets of automotive and recreational/fitness, especially as it has begun to leverage the company’s expertise in sensor fusion.
As new opportunities for GNSS continue to develop in markets such as wearables, IoT, personal tracking and UAVs, there will also be a number of new or emerging companies looking to claim a share in the stakes. Analysis findings point to the Chinese regional market as one such area that has potential to demonstrate strong growth trends in future years.
“There’s big opportunity for emerging Chinese start-ups, such as CEC Huada, to meet new, indigenous, market demand over the next 10 years, while also working their way toward becoming major international competitors,” concluded Connolly. “Additionally, Galileo Satellite Navigation, an emerging company focused in software GPS, is reporting impressive results in trials. As consumer electronics start supporting software GPS, it will be interesting to watch whether or not it can achieve volume shipments in 2016.”
These findings are part of ABI Research’s Location Devices Service, which includes research reports, market data, insights and competitive assessments.
Qualcomm Incorporated announced Thursday that its subsidiary Qualcomm Global Trading Pte. Ltd. has completed the acquisition of CSR. CSR is known to the GPS/GNSS industry as the maker of the SiRFstar series of chips, which are used in many consumer devices.
Qualcomm started the acquisition process for CSR in October 2014. With this close of the acquisition, Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited, or CSR, is renamed Qualcomm Technologies International Ltd.
The acquisition, which was completed at an enterprise value of approximately $2.2 billion, complements Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.’s offerings by adding a compelling portfolio of new products, sales channels and a large number of customers in the areas of IoE and automotive — both key growth priorities for Qualcomm Technologies.
Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of CSR that operates, along with its affiliates, substantially all of CSR’s engineering, research and development functions, along with substantially all of the CSR products and services businesses. Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited will be renamed Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd., which will become a subsidiary of Qualcomm Technologies.
“As we strive to connect billions more devices, automobiles and people within the Internet of Everything, we are enthusiastic about the growth that this combination will foster,” said Steve Mollenkopf, chief executive officer, Qualcomm Incorporated. “CSR’s complementary strengths in connectivity, audio technologies and systems-on-chips will help strengthen Qualcomm Technologies’ position in the IoE and automotive industries, and add to a broad and highly advanced portfolio.”
“We are pleased to join a recognized leader such as Qualcomm Technologies at an exciting time as customers race to satisfy the growing consumer desire for more and more seamlessly connected devices in their ‘smart’ homes, offices and cars,” said Joep van Beurden, chief executive officer, CSR. “Our employees have a strong history of pioneering new products and collaborating with customers to deliver critical technology requirements such as interoperability, low power and connectivity. Together with Qualcomm Technologies, we are better positioned to meet our customers’ needs today and into the future.”
While the accounting for the transaction is not yet finalized, Qualcomm estimates that on a Non-GAAP basis the acquisition will be modestly accretive to earnings per share in fiscal 2016 consistent with prior guidance. In addition, based on preliminary estimates, Qualcomm expects the transaction to be modestly dilutive to GAAP earnings for fiscal 2016 driven primarily by acquisition-related items.
CSR is becoming Qualcomm Technologies International.
Qualcomm started the acquisition process for CSR in October 2014. With the expected close of the acquisition in two weeks on Aug. 13, the name of the company — Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited, or CSR — will be changed to Qualcomm Technologies International Ltd. (QTIL).
Here is the renamed company’s contact information:
Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd.
Churchill House, Cambridge Business Park, Cowley Road
Cambridge, CB4 0WZ, UK
Emails will retain an @csr.com address until a QTIL address is created.
CSR is known to the GPS/GNSS industry as the maker of the SiRFstar series of chips, which are used in many consumer devices. Qualcomm is a leading maker of chips used in smartphones.
CSR issued a letter to its customers explaining the change, sent by Chris Dale, senior manager, CSR Global Procurement. Dale asked that customers make the appropriate change in their purchase order systems before Aug. 13. “As part of an ongoing program of review and improvement to trading arrangements and business processes, we will be updating our standard terms of purchase. You will be able to review the revised terms at qualcomm.com/procurement.”
The revised terms of purchase will apply to purchase orders issued by QTIL on and after Aug. 13.” Finally, please note that for the near term there will be no changes to the Accounts Payable or purchasing process or contacts,” Dale wrote.
TU-Automotive has announced finalists in several categories for its 2015 awards. Finalists in the Best Connected Car System Integrator category include chipmakers Qualcomm and u-blox, among others. Nominees in other categories include TomTom, NXP Semiconductors, Telogis and Geotab.
The finalists represent excellence, innovation and leadership in the connected car industry, TU-Automotive said.
More than 400 entries were submitted. The winners will be revealed at the TU-Automotive Awards Ceremony on June 2 in Detroit. Here is the full list of finalists:
Car Maker of the Year 2015
Audi
BMW of North America, LLC
Ford Motor Company
Qoros auto
Toyota Motor Sales
Volvo Car Group
Commercial Vehicle Maker of the Year
Mack Trucks
Scania CV AB
Volvo AB
Telematics Service Provider of the Year
Airbiquity
Ericsson
General Motors
Jasper
Nuance Communications, Inc.
Total Traffic and Weather Network
Xtime
Commercial Telematics Service Provider of the Year
Inthinc Technology Solutions Inc.
Openmatics
Teletrac Inc
Telogis
Best Connected Car System Integrator
Atos
AutonomouStuff LLC
HERE, a Nokia company
Car Connectivity Consortium
Covisint
Dash Labs
Elektrobit (EB) Automotive
Luxoft
Movimento
Parkopedia
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Symphony Teleca Corp.
u-blox AG
Uievolution, Inc.
Best Commercial Vehicle System Integrator
Eyeris
Geotab
KPIT Technologies Ltd.
Navistar
Spireon, Inc.
Symphony Teleca Corp.
TomTom Telematics
Best Insurance Telematics Product
Allstate Insurance Company
AXA & MyDrive Solution
Codan Insurance (RSA) & The Floow
Direct Auto Insurance & DriveFactor
Industrielle Alliance, Assurance auto et habitation inc. & Baseline Telematics
Progressive Insurance & zubie inc
RightTrack® by Liberty Mutual & Octo Telematics North America
Suncorp Group & Wunelli, a LexisNexis Company
Best Telematics Product or Launch in an Emerging Market
CarIQ Technologies Private Limited.
Discovery Insure
iTrans Technologies Pvt Ltd
Omnicomm
Qoros Auto
TATA Motors Ltd, India
TechMahindra
TOWER Insurance (in partnership w/ DriveFactor Inc.)
Best Safety or ADAS Solution
Argus Cyber Security
BrightWay Vision
Delphi Automotive PLC
Elektrobit (EB) Automotive
Eyeris
General Motors
NXP Semiconductors
TomTom
Valeo Wiper Systems
Best Mobility Solution Industry Newcomer
Carma
County of Santa Clara Roads & Airports Department
Dash Labs
Hyundai Blue Link Smartwatch app
Local Motion
moovel GmbH
parku – The Parking App
QNX Software Systems
Industry Newcomer
ATG Risk Solutions
CarKnow LLC
CloudCar
Dealer-FX
Eyeris
gestigon
MobiWize
Nebula Systems Ltd
Rivet Radio, Inc.
TowerSec
TU-Automotive Influencer of the Year
Andrew Poliak, Global Director Business Development – Automotive, QNX Software Systems
