Innovating and racing for a greater purpose
When Qualcomm Technologies and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport teamed up and began racing together in 2015, it was an intriguing endeavor – what does a motorsports team have to do with a company associated with smartphones? What may not have been initially obvious was how similar Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport and Qualcomm Technologies were in mindset: both had a roster of talented engineers and players, both were open to invest in new ideas and collaboration, and both were willing to innovate and test wireless technology to gain valuable data that could prove useful in the future — not just for racing but to serve a greater purpose in transforming industries, creating jobs, and enriching lives. Since becoming an Team Partner, Qualcomm Technologies has successfully led the way to 5G and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport has amassed four more Constructors’ Championships.
“What’s special about 5G? How is it better than 4G?” are two questions we often hear. 5G can deliver:
- Multi-gigabit peak speeds — think: superfast connections
- Ultra-low latency — meaning the data you’re sending from your device (smartphone, wearable, gaming device, etc.) gets to where it needs to go (base station, cloud, etc.) in less time, resulting in a more immediate user experience
- Massive capacity — meaning you can work with apps, say mobile games or watch videos in HD or 4K and not worry about screen buffering
- More uniform user experiences — meaning virtually everyone across a coverage area, even those with a weak signal, experience the aforementioned advantages
5G resets the benchmark when it comes to what’s possible with wireless technology, paving the way for many industries to implement connectivity into nearly every aspect of their operations as well as new industries to be born. This is the green light to a new era of unprecedented creativity — this is the beginning of the Invention Age.
Just imagine how some innovative companies could use 5G with their products to transform how fans experience auto racing…
What does every Formula 1 fan dream of? That’s easy: that he or she is sitting in a Silver Arrow as Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas would, on track, going full throttle past the grandstands, passing a rival team. What if a company that specialized in XR/VR experiences worked with a race team to implement a 360 camera on the car and the real-time feed could be transmitted via 5G to fans around the world? Or, what if a company specializing in AI created algorithms based on real race data and implemented that AI on a massive multi-player XR gaming platform? Beyond fan and gaming experiences, the Invention Age and 5G unlocks new ideas and possibilities, whether you’re indoors or outdoors, in a factory control room or in your living room.
Never stop racing, never stop inventing
Things have come a long way since 2015. Qualcomm Technologies has proven to the world it can lead the world to 5G and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport is aiming for its sixth consecutive Constructor’s championship title – they have won six of six races this season thus far and are heading into Round 7, the Grand Prix of Canada, with a commanding lead. It is a remarkable tale of two teams collaborating and competing together, not only winning races but shaping the technology that will define a new era.
Qualcomm Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.
