Qualcomm has announced its acquisition of Israeli chipmaker Autotalks for a reported $350 to $400 million. Autotalks specializes in creating chips and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication technologies aimed at enhancing road safety for both autonomous and regular vehicles. Qualcomm will integrate Autotalks’ “production-ready, dual mode, standalone safety solutions” into the Snapdragon Digital Chassis, a set of assisted and self-driving technologies connected to the cloud.
Nakul Duggal, Senior VP of Automotive for Qualcomm Technologies, stated that a “standalone V2X safety architecture will be needed for enhanced road user safety, as well as smart transportation systems.” Duggal also said that Qualcomm and Autotalks’ collaboration will deliver global V2X solutions that will accelerate time-to-market and mass-market adoption of this vital safety technology.
With safety concerns at the forefront of consumers’ minds regarding self-driving cars, companies that produce autonomous and driver-assisted vehicles need to offer safety features that can alleviate people’s fears. Qualcomm’s acquisition of Autotalks signals the company’s commitment to the automotive industry and is expected to significantly contribute to the growth of its revenue in the coming years. At CES last year, Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon Ride Vision platform, which automakers can use to build cars. In late 2022, the company announced that its revenue-generating opportunities in the automotive business pipeline had risen to $30 billion, with a projected revenue of $4 billion by fiscal year 2026. The acquisition of Autotalks could lead to even more growth and expansion of its customer base and offerings.
