Qualcomm Expands Decade-Long Collaboration with Google for Automotive Innovation and AI-Powered Mobility

Highlights:

• Deepened collaboration helps simplify the development of software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and accelerate the adoption of in-vehicle, agentic AI experiences – establishing Qualcomm and Google’s leadership in delivering these technologies at scale. 

• Companies advance intelligent Snapdragon-powered vehicles with AI from cloud to car, delivering personalized, ever-improving experiences with Google Cloud connectivity.

• Snapdragon vSoCs on Google Cloud combined with real world equivalent reference platforms accelerate AI-driven SDV development, enabling more personalized experiences powered by generative and agentic AI—while new initiatives speed innovation and reduce complexity and costs for automakers.

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Google today announced an expansion of their joint efforts, building on over a decade of successful collaboration in the automotive industry. This deepened alliance provides a leading foundation for transforming the automotive industry over the coming years, unlocking innovation, accelerating time-to-market, and opening new capabilities in the rapidly evolving era of agentic AI.

This collaboration establishes end-to-end automotive technology solutions that seamlessly integrate Qualcomm Technologies’ leading Snapdragon Digital Chassis^™ solutions with Google’s automotive software, empowering automakers to create next-generation vehicles that better anticipate, react and adapt to driver needs with agentic AI. Together, Qualcomm Technologies and Google aim to deliver secure and scalable AI-powered experiences for millions of vehicles worldwide.

The decade-long collaboration between Qualcomm Technologies and Google began by pioneering Snapdragon-powered embedded Android infotainment. This foundational work helped drive Android Automotive OS (AAOS) adoption and helped create the industry’s first vehicles featuring Google built-in. Qualcomm Technologies and Google Cloud continue these joint efforts aimed at simplifying the deployment of advanced, next-generation AI agents with Gemini Enterprise for automotive — an evolution of Automotive AI Agent (AAA).

Building on previous, strong foundations, the expanded relationship includes these new areas:

Intelligent Mobility Redefined for the GenAI Era
Building on the Qualcomm Technologies and Google Cloud collaboration on Gemini Enterprise for Automotive announced at IAA 2025, the two companies are showcasing AI-powered solutions at CES 2026 that connect vehicles to the cloud, using a flexible architecture that blends on-device and cloud models. This approach enables real-time personalization for drivers and helps speed up the rollout of new features like advanced voice-driven and pro-active assistants, simplifies compliance, and lowers costs. For drivers, this helps enable smarter, safer, and more adaptive vehicles—with dynamic personalization, multimodal interfaces with always-on AI-driven features that can help enhance convenience and safety.

Unified Reference Platform for Rapid Innovation
Qualcomm Technologies and Google are establishing a unified reference platform aimed at establishing accelerating development cycles, strengthening quality assurance, and streamlining production for vehicle manufacturers. By aligning Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms with Google’s AAOS roadmaps, starting with Android 17, the companies are creating a foundation for next-generation SDVs and in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems. This approach enables automakers to accelerate prototyping, innovation, and scalable development, allowing them to deliver higher quality, advanced automotive experiences to consumers.

AAOS SDV scaling collaboration to redefine Software Defined Vehicles of the future
Google and Qualcomm Technologies are partnering to scale AAOS for SDVs (AAOS SDV) – an architecture involving on-device software and complimentary cloud development environments to speed up overall development. As the lead scaling partner, Qualcomm Technologies delivers pre-integrated, optimized AAOS SDV software on Snapdragon Digital Chassis platforms to accelerate automakers’ time-to-market. Optimized for Snapdragon Digital Chassis, AAOS SDV supports multiple vehicle domains; instrument clusters with safety and regulatory display elements; granular OTA updates; cloud-native development with Snapdragon virtual SoCs (vSoCs) on Google Cloud; premium consumer experiences; and vehicle and fleet insights powered by telemetry data and AI.

AAOS SDV on Snapdragon Digital Chassis enables automotive OEMs to deploy a unified software stack across vehicle tiers and generations, rapidly deliver differentiated features, and monetize new services throughout the vehicle lifecycle—helping to elevate consumer experiences and strengthen brand loyalty.

Fast automotive software development powered by Snapdragon vSoC on Google Cloud’s Axion bare metal instances
Qualcomm Technologies is introducing Snapdragon vSoC virtual platform on Google Cloud, enabling automakers to design, test and validate entirely in the cloud without the need for vehicle hardware. Leveraging Google Cloud’s Arm-based Axion bare metal instances, C4A metal, Snapdragon vSoC provides high-fidelity validation and enhanced parity to in-vehicle SoCs. With Snapdragon vSoC, developers can begin building from a simple browser on a laptop, collaborate globally and scale automotive software development quickly and efficiently, helping to accelerate time-to-market. Snapdragon vSoC complements the Horizon Software Factory for efficient and scalable automotive software development on Google Cloud.

Project Treble for Android Automotive OS (AAOS) Lifecycle Management
Qualcomm Technologies introduces Project Treble to streamline Android lifecycle management for automakers utilizing Snapdragon^® Cockpit Platforms. Project Treble is designed to ensure predictable, secure upgrades, reduce fragmentation, and enhance security across multi-generational platforms, and will cover four generations of Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms and over 14 individual system-on-chips (SoCs). Through this collaboration, automakers can gain dramatically simplified Android updates, streamlined integration, lower engineering costs, and faster time-to-market, supported by a robust 10-year plan for critical software updates. For drivers, this can enable smarter, safer, and more connected vehicles with consistent, up-to-date features throughout their 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.”

For more information, please access the Snapdragon Digital Chassis webpage by clicking here.

About Qualcomm
Qualcomm relentlessly innovates to deliver intelligent computing everywhere, helping the world tackle some of its most important challenges. Building on our 40 years of technology leadership in creating era-defining breakthroughs, we deliver a broad portfolio of solutions built with our leading-edge AI, high-performance, low-power computing, and unrivaled connectivity. Our Snapdragon^® platforms power extraordinary consumer experiences, and our Qualcomm Dragonwing™ products empower businesses and industries to scale to new heights. Together with our ecosystem partners, we enable next-generation digital transformation to enrich lives, improve businesses, and advance societies. At Qualcomm, we are engineering human progress. 

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering and research and development functions and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business. Snapdragon and Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm patents are licensed by Qualcomm Incorporated.