Qualcomm Technologies, subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, has entered in a definitive agreement to acquire Autotalks, a fabless semiconductor company which provides vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication solutions compatible with multiple V2X standards to reduce the chances of vehicular collisions while improving mobility.
As the automotive industry continues to transform with the introduction of next-generation software-defined vehicles, it is imperative that V2X communication technologies – which enable vehicles to communicate with each another and the surrounding environment – are developed and enhanced as they act as critical sensors for safety systems.
By combining each party’s knowledge of the automotive industry and V2X technologies, the pair seeks to speed up the development and uptake of V2X solutions to enhance safety and traffic efficiency. Through the acquisition, Autotalks’ production-ready, dual-mode standalone safety solutions will be incorporated into Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon Digital Chassis product portfolio – a set of cloud-connected automotive platforms.
“We have been investing in V2X research, development and deployment since 2017 and believe that as the automotive market matures, a standalone V2X safety architecture will be needed for enhanced road user safety, as well as smart transportation systems,” said Nakul Duggal, senior vice president and GM, automotive, Qualcomm Technologies. “We share Autotalks’ decades-long experience and commitment to build V2X technologies and products with a focus on solving real-world road user safety challenges. We look forward to working together to deliver global V2X solutions that will help accelerate time-to-market and enable mass market adoption of this very important safety technology.”
“It has been our mission to revolutionize safety for the transportation and automotive industry through our V2X solutions,” said Hagai Zyss, CEO, Autotalks. “We are confident that by combining our knowledge and expertise, we will not only deliver strong V2X products that will enhance transportation efficiency and safety for road users but will accelerate widespread adoption of V2X.”
Several companies also voiced support for the acquisition announcement.
“We’re working closely with Qualcomm Technologies to power our next-generation vehicles with cutting-edge technology and hardware enabling premium experiences in the space of automated driving for our customers,” said Dirk Hilgenberg, chief executive officer, Cariad, a Volkswagen Group company. “In this space, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technologies are increasingly important and essential to ensure the safety of automotive systems, so we welcome these joint efforts.”
“The Snapdragon Digital Chassis has played a pivotal role in ushering in Renault’s next generation of software-defined vehicles,” said Thierry Cammal, alliance global vice president of software factory, Renault Group. “With connectivity being more imperative than ever in advancing software-defined vehicle architectures, we congratulate Qualcomm Technologies and Autotalks for joining forces to support reliable and high-performing V2X solutions for the automotive market.”
“V2X communication has demonstrated how connected vehicle technologies are transforming the industry, while remaining a must-have for the automotive industry as it is helping to pave the path towards advanced safety on the roads and autonomous driving,” said Fayu Chen, SVP and GM of automotive, module and antenna business group, Wistron NeWeb Corporation. “We believe the combined efforts of V2X leaders Qualcomm Technologies and Autotalks will help support this need through the development and deployment of strong V2X products.”