Qualcomm Technologies has unveiled a unified artificial intelligence strategy that spans autonomous robotics and software-defined vehicles at CES 2026. As part of this initiative, the company announced new robotics processors, wider adoption of its automotive platforms, and stronger ecosystem partnerships, with a focus on edge AI, centralized computing, and agentic AI for real-world use cases.
Robotics platform scales from AMRs to full-size humanoids -
Qualcomm introduced a next-generation, general-purpose robotics architecture designed to support autonomous systems ranging from household robots to industrial autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and full-size humanoids. The new architecture brings together hardware, software, and composite AI technologies to enable deployment-ready robotic systems.
At the heart of this platform is the Dragonwing IQ10 Series, Qualcomm’s latest processor built specifically for robotics. Targeted at industrial AMRs and advanced humanoid robots, the IQ10 delivers high-performance, energy-efficient edge computing for perception, motion planning, and real-time decision-making. According to Qualcomm, the processor marks an important step toward moving robotics beyond research labs and prototype stages into practical, real-world deployment.
The robotics software stack combines heterogeneous edge computing, mixed-criticality systems, machine learning workloads, software frameworks, and an AI data flywheel. It supports end-to-end AI models, including vision-language and vision-language-action models, enabling generalized manipulation and more natural human–robot interaction. The platform is designed to scale across different robot form factors while meeting industrial-grade reliability standards.
Qualcomm also noted that its existing Dragonwing industrial processor roadmap already powers a variety of general-purpose robotics platforms, including humanoid systems from Booster and VinMotion. In addition, the company confirmed that it is in ongoing discussions with KUKA regarding next-generation robotics solutions.
Snapdragon Digital Chassis adoption expands globally -
Beyond robotics, Qualcomm highlighted the continued global expansion of its Snapdragon Digital Chassis portfolio as the automotive industry moves toward software-defined and AI-centric vehicle architectures. The company reported increasing deployments of its cockpit, automated driving, and connectivity platforms across multiple markets.
The Snapdragon Cockpit Elite and Snapdragon Ride Elite platforms act as centralized computing foundations for AI-defined vehicles, supporting both digital cockpit experiences and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Qualcomm announced new and expanded partnerships with Li Auto, Leapmotor, Zeekr, Great Wall Motor, NIO, and Chery, bringing the total number of announced design wins to ten.
Leapmotor also unveiled a high-performance automotive central computing unit based on dual Snapdragon Elite (SA8797P) platforms, which Qualcomm described as the first solution of its kind to use this dual-chip configuration.
Ride Flex and Snapdragon Ride drive centralized computing and automated driving -
Qualcomm said it is continuing to expand deployments of Snapdragon Ride Flex, its system-on-chip designed to consolidate digital cockpit and ADAS workloads into a single platform. The solution is already used in mass-produced vehicles across eight global programs. Chinese Tier-1 suppliers such as Autolink, Desay SV, Hangsheng, and ZYT have announced mass-production plans for integrated cockpit and driver-assistance systems based on Ride Flex.
In the area of automated driving, Qualcomm is advancing end-to-end AI algorithms through its Snapdragon Ride platform. The company is collaborating with AD stack providers including DeepRoute.ai, Momenta, QCraft, WeRide, and ZYT, supporting a range of AI strategies and vehicle segments. Qualcomm also revealed that nearly one million Snapdragon Ride SoCs have been shipped so far and confirmed new partnerships with ZF and Epec.
Qualcomm and Google deepen automotive AI partnership -
Qualcomm and Google announced an expansion of their long-standing collaboration in automotive technology. The enhanced partnership integrates Snapdragon Digital Chassis platforms with Google’s automotive software stack to enable agentic AI capabilities in next-generation vehicles.
This builds on earlier efforts that brought Snapdragon-powered Android infotainment systems to market, accelerated the adoption of Android Automotive OS (AAOS), and helped introduce vehicles with Google built-in. The collaboration now extends to cloud-connected AI agents, including Gemini Enterprise for Automotive, combining on-device and cloud-based models to deliver real-time personalization, multimodal interfaces, and proactive in-car assistance.
Unified AAOS platforms and cloud-based development -
As part of the expanded partnership, Qualcomm and Google are aligning Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms with AAOS roadmaps starting with Android 17. This unified reference platform is designed to speed up prototyping, validation, and mass production of in-vehicle infotainment and software-defined vehicle systems.
Qualcomm also introduced Snapdragon vSoC on Google Cloud, which allows automakers to design, test, and validate automotive software entirely in the cloud without relying on physical vehicle hardware. Built on Arm-based Axion bare-metal instances, the virtual platform aims to deliver high-fidelity validation with behavior closely matching in-vehicle SoCs, enabling faster and more scalable software development.
Android lifecycle support and connectivity updates -
Qualcomm announced Project Treble support for Android Automotive OS on Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms to simplify Android version upgrades, reduce fragmentation, and improve security across multi-generation vehicle platforms. The initiative spans four generations of Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms and more than 14 SoCs, with a planned support window of up to 10 years for critical software updates.
On the connectivity front, Qualcomm unveiled the A10 5G Modem-RF, its first 5G Reduced Capability (RedCap) modem for automotive applications. The new modem is designed to deliver lower power consumption while providing global LTE and 5G connectivity for mission-critical vehicle services. Qualcomm also demonstrated new V2X technology in collaboration with Hyundai Mobis, aimed at improving detection of non-line-of-sight hazards and enabling earlier braking in situations where conventional sensors have limited visibility.
CES 2026 demonstrations and availability -
At CES 2026, Qualcomm is presenting a range of robotics and automotive demonstrations at its booth (#5001). These include VinMotion’s Motion 2 humanoid powered by the Dragonwing IQ9 Series, Booster’s K1 Geek humanoid, Advantech’s commercially available robotics development kit, as well as showcases of teleoperation tools and an AI data flywheel for continuous skill training and deployment.
Demonstrations of Snapdragon Digital Chassis technologies—including cockpit, automated driving, and connectivity solutions—are available by appointment at the Qualcomm booth throughout CES 2026, which runs from January 6 to January 9.
