Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon (pictured) highlighted the pace of development of generative AI and its impact on the automotive sector, a field he argued during a keynote at CES 2024 is the next key computing space.

The company unveiled a range of products based on its Snapdragon Digital Chassis platform to support generative AI digital cockpits, connected car technologies, connected services, and advanced driver assistance and automated driving systems.

Amon said vehicles are “the new computing space”, citing infotainment services and the potential to access the same services and applications people have on PCs and phones.

“Salesforce is embedded into the Snapdragon Digital Chassis so you can do CRM from the car,” he stated. “We have insurance companies that want to embed their services into the car. You have distribution of television content and gaming in the car.”

He explained vehicles employing generative AI were a huge opportunity for Qualcomm to be the digital engine for the autonomous vehicle sector, adding the technology will learn users’ behaviours and begin handling tasks on their behalf.

Amon also discussed Qualcomm’s work using generative AI in mobile phones.

While the technology is an evolution of mobile device technology, he does not believe AI-powered devices will eventually replace phones.

“What’s going to happen now is the phone is going to have a different role, which is not only what it used to do where the phone is good for all the apps you have, but also the phone is going to be communicating with the cloud.”

“The phone is not going anywhere, but it is going to be enhanced by AI.”

AI-enabled phones will have some users’ information on the devices instead of in a cloud.

Unlike clouds, Amon noted generative AI programmes will continually learn about users’ preferences.

“Everything you type will be a query for AI.”

“It’s going to be this assistant with you that’s running pervasively.”

He stated the company’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset is one of the fastest AI engines in the industry and use cases on phones would begin launching this year.

“We have over 40 different models imported into Snapdragon. I think there’s been an incredible amount of work for the past three months to get this ready,” Amon said.