Qualcomm and Amazon Deepen Strategic Engagement
SAN DIEGO - Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Amazon announced the companies’ efforts to pre-integrate the Alexa Custom Assistant with the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Automotive Cockpit Platforms. This new system is designed to support automotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers to build customizable, in-vehicle intelligent assistants and is offered as an extension module to the Alexa Automotive Software Development Kit (SDK). It will soon be available on the 3rd Generation Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Automotive Cockpit Platforms as well as the recently announced 4th Generation Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Automotive Cockpit Platform. The digital cabin assistance system is enhanced with superior, highly-intuitive voice-based capabilities for natural, conversational interactions with driver and passengers, according to the official website of Qualcomm.
The Alexa Custom Assistant is built on Alexa technology and can be tailored to each vehicle brand with unique wake words, voices and capabilities. The solution, which is available to automotive OEMs on a pre-approved basis as an extension module to the Alexa Automotive SDK, provides access to always-improving voice artificial intelligence (AI) technology, including the high-accuracy Alexa wake word engine, spoken language understanding, intent routing, and response orchestration—empowering developers to build, deliver, and maintain a superior voice experience without the hefty investment.
The new system uses the Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms with the Qualcomm® Smart Audio Platform and Qualcomm® Voice Assist technologies featuring multichannel echo cancellation noise suppression (ECNS), allowing for easy access to Alexa services, even when multiple people are speaking within the car cabin. Additionally, the system uses the voice identification and zonal interference cancellation technology for a personality-aware voice assistant.
The new functionality can also be made available via Qualcomm® Car-to-Cloud services, which features unique Soft SKU capability, allowing automakers and Tier-1 suppliers to update the new Alexa Custom Assistant solution via over-the-air upgrades. The Qualcomm Car-to-Cloud Service is designed to keep cockpit and telematics systems up-to-date as well as afford the flexibility to unlock features post-deployment, allowing automakers to keep pace with the increasing performance requirements due to new functionality additions, changing technology trends and vehicle maintenance, over the life of the vehicle.
“We created the Alexa Custom Assistant in response to growing demand for bespoke digital experiences that are unique to a brand while leveraging the world-class Alexa technology stack,” said Ned Curic, Vice President of Alexa Automotive. “The pre-integration of the Alexa Custom Assistant with Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms is designed to reduce the cost, complexity and time it takes for automotive OEMs to offer their customers the choice and flexibility of simultaneous intelligent assistants.”
“The hallmark of Qualcomm Technologies for the automotive industry is the ability to transform those valued, personalized experiences with smart devices for today’s personal vehicles,” said Nakul Duggal, senior vice president & GM, automotive, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “This latest optimization of Alexa Custom Assistant with Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms allows for smarter, customized and natural interactions between drivers and vehicles, which nurtures a stronger driver-to-vehicle relationship.”
