How Snapdragon, Unreal Engine, and Volvo Cars are driving the future of the connected, intelligent car

The world is more connected today than ever before, and that will continue to be the case moving forward. A rapid digital transformation is taking place across industries — from transportation to recreation and beyond.

At Qualcomm Technologies, Snapdragon has brought leading 3D Engines for gaming — such as Epic Games' Unreal Engine — to developers and gamers on all devices, including mobile. It has also empowered automakers to reimagine the next generation, software-defined vehicle through the Snapdragon Digital Chassis — a set of technology solutions for building connected and intelligent vehicles that are safer, customizable, immersive, and continually upgradeable.

And as Qualcomm Technologies moves the automotive and gaming industries forward, the automotive and games industries are also beginning to converge.

Volvo Cars, Unreal Engine, and Snapdragon

Volvo Cars and Epic Games recently announced a collaboration to bring photorealistic visualization tech to Volvo Cars’ next generation of fully electric vehicles by coupling Unreal Engine with the high-performance custom-designed GPU cores and computing power of the 3rd Generation Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms. This means the next generation of Volvo EVs will feature infotainment systems more than twice as fast as their predecessors, high-quality graphics generation, and processing up to 10x faster.

The initial focus on this work is to advance displays in the cabin that provide drivers with relevant information and infotainment features — making for a safer and smarter automotive experience. As the first European automaker to use Unreal Engine for Human Machine Interface (HMI) development, this collaboration is designed to bring sharper renderings, richer colors and brand-new 3D animations via driver displays — but that’s only the first step. As we saw with mobile gaming, the possibilities are limitless — especially in the rapidly converging worlds of auto, games, and XR.

“This new collaboration is not just about bringing astonishing game-quality graphics into our cars. It’s about new ways of using visual communications to explain new technologies, to deliver new functionality customer value and to bring the outside world safely into the vehicle” explains Volvo Cars’ Head of User Experience, Thomas Stovicek.

A literal game changer

Gaming is growing across all sectors, from PC to console to mobile. There are more than 2.8 billion gamers worldwide, and 51 percent of all gaming revenue comes from mobile. As such, Qualcomm Technologies has shipped more than 3.0 billion Qualcomm Adreno GPUs. We’ve also designed a dedicated games-specific chipset — the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 — which we believe will power the next generation of handheld gaming devices. And we recently collaborated with ESL — the world’s premier esports company — to form the Snapdragon Pro Series, the fastest growing multi-genre Mobile esports competition in the world. The Snapdragon Pro Series spans across multiple regions and a wide array of games while offering gamers of all levels the chance to compete.

Connectivity tech, such as 5G and Wi-Fi, and Snapdragon Elite Gaming capabilities allow gamers to play whenever and wherever they want — even in the car. In the near future, passengers will be able to play their games on in-cabin screens — and perhaps even on AR/VR headsets and HUD displays — with ultra-realistic graphics, low latency thanks to 5G, and blazing-fast speeds. Gamers will be able to start the game at home and continue playing from the comfort of the passenger’s seat — or the backseat — seamlessly transferring from one location to another without fear of being penalized for switching the game off.

As for drivers: They’ll only be able to enjoy in-cabin gaming when the car is parked and switched off. That said, say goodbye to boredom as you wait in the airport carpark while picking up a friend or in the rest station parking lot while charging your EV.

As the connected car transforms into a data hub, it’s also transforming into a mobile entertainment system — and gaming is a crucial component.

But it’s not just about gaming…

The implications of introducing Unreal Engine technology to the Snapdragon Digital Chassis could be staggering for driver performance and overall safety on the road. Qualcomm Technologies has been working with Epic Games for over a decade on optimizing Unreal Engine for Snapdragon platforms for the gaming and mobile industries. There’s no doubt that this technology enhances the quality of gaming experiences, but now it’s being unleashed to deliver relevant information and certain infotainment features to drivers, which can improve safety. Advanced in-cabin displays will deliver real-time traffic and infrastructure alerts, as well as real-time road understanding with natural visual navigation capabilities and warning assistance. A bit further down the road, HUD windshield displays will deliver relevant traffic and safety information, enabling drivers to spend less time looking away from the road, making for a safer driving experience.

At Qualcomm Technologies, we’re at the intersection of digital transformation, and there is demand for our technology across virtually every industry — the result of strong growth and diversification beyond smartphones. This was reconfirmed on our Q2 FY22 earnings call in April 2022, when we reported record revenues and growth across business units.

That was especially true of our automotive business, which accounted for $339 million in revenue, up 41 percent compared to Q2 FY21, and increased its design win pipeline by $3 billion, up to $16 billion. This boom is bolstered when working directly with automakers such as e Volvo Car Group, BMW Group, Stellantis, and Volkswagen Group, as well as the steady adoption of the Snapdragon Digital Chassis. Qualcomm Technologies is reshaping the future of connected cars — making them safer, smarter, and more connected.

Snapdragon technology is also revolutionizing the games industry. Snapdragon Elite Gaming has transformed smartphones into powerful gaming rigs that redefine mobile limits. Our first-to-mobile desktop-level gaming features allow users to play their favorite games with smooth interactions, superior performance, blazing-fast response time, ultra-low latency, crisp audio, hyper-realistic graphics, and much more. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Mobile Platform features a re-architected Adreno GPU, which is 25 percent more efficient than the previous version and delivers 50 percent faster graphics rendering. It’s also the first mobile platform to include Unreal Engine 5, the world’s most advanced real-time 3D creation tool for photorealistic visuals and immersive experiences.

The future of automotive is upon us, and it includes a lot more than just driving. Qualcomm Technologies’ breakthrough innovations — from the Snapdragon Digital Chassis to Snapdragon Elite Gaming — is reshaping that future, enabling a more connected and safer experience for drivers, and a more entertaining experience for passengers. We’re just beginning to understand what the future of the automotive industry looks like — and the possibilities are endless.

Snapdragon, Snapdragon Digital Chassis, Snapdragon Elite Gaming, Qualcomm Adreno are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc and/or its subsidiaries.