Today’s drivers expect vehicles to update, adapt, and evolve like their smartphones, yet cars often still behave like legacy machines. To help close that gap, Qualcomm Technologies and HARMAN announced a collaboration to deliver next-level cockpit solutions that accelerate the consumer-tech transformation of the automotive industry.
The strategic initiative pairs HARMAN’s market-ready automotive product portfolio with Qualcomm Technologies’ high-performance automotive compute to enable intelligent, contextual, and empathetic in-cabin experiences. The collaboration reflects a shared vision to redefine how drivers and passengers connect with their vehicles.
The combination of Qualcomm Technologies’ platform and HARMAN’s architecture will enable advanced AI models that transform the in-cabin experience including real-time ADAS visualisation, situational intelligence and empathetic user interfaces that can interpret and respond to driver and passenger emotions, preferences, and contextual cues. By integrating automotive and IoT technologies, HARMAN’s architecture lays the foundation for more intuitive, personalised, and connected in-cabin experiences which are essential for the future of smart mobility.
The two companies will work together to ensure seamless compatibility between the HARMAN Ready lineup – a modular market-ready product portfolio that adapts to evolving consumer and automaker needs – and Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon Cockpit Elite platform. Qualcomm Technologies’ compute power will boost the capabilities of HARMAN products, including Ready Engage and its Luna AI avatar for natural and empathetic interactions, Ready Vision QVUE for AR-rich visualisation of critical information, and Ready Care for AI-based driver monitoring and tailored interventions. For automakers, this means faster development cycles, reduced system complexity, and differentiated human-centric experiences aligned to their brand. For consumers, this delivers crisp graphics and powerful AI for enhanced comfort, safety, and personalisation throughout their drive.
The cockpit solutions, powered by AI acceleration from the in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) system-on-chips (SoCs), are initially aimed at automakers in Europe and China where demand for intelligent, connected, and emotionally responsive mobility solutions is accelerating.
Additionally, the companies are working together to deliver robust, scalable solutions for HARMAN’s Central Compute portfolio leveraging Snapdragon Ride Elite and Snapdragon Ride Flex SoC. These platforms introduce a central compute architecture that enables mixed criticality workloads to run concurrently on a single SoC, simplifying system design, reducing power consumption, and allowing for seamless, parallel interaction between safety-critical ADAS functions and infotainment experiences. They support a wide range of ADAS functions – from perception and sensor fusion to decision-making and actuation –paving the way for more intelligent and efficient mobility systems.
“This technology collaboration with HARMAN represents a pivotal moment in automotive innovation,” said Enrico Salvatori, Senior Vice President and President, Qualcomm Europe/MEA, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Together, we’re bringing the power of AI to the cockpit, transforming how drivers and passengers interact with their vehicles.”
“Consumer expectations for their vehicles are evolving as quickly as technology itself, and no one company alone can solve for that,” added Huibert Verhoeven, Senior Vice President, SBU Intelligent Cockpit, HARMAN.
“Partnering with Qualcomm Technologies, we can deliver intelligent, intuitive experiences that continually improve, so the car feels as personal and enjoyable as your favourite device.”
Learn more about Qualcomm Technologies’ automotive products at IAA Mobility 2025 – Hall A2, Stand C01, Munich Messe Exhibition Centre.
