China’s EV makers choose Qualcomm cockpit chip amid nation’s push for tech self-sufficiency
- The Qualcomm Snapdragon SA8155P is touted by Li Auto and Geely’s Zeekr as a major selling point of their latest EVs
- Despite efforts by Chinese fabless firms to develop competitive products in the car sector, none have managed to rival those from US giants such as Qualcomm
A powerful chip from US semiconductor giant Qualcomm is touted by Chinese electric vehicle (EV) makers as one of the main selling points of their latest models, showing China’s continued reliance on American core technologies.
In its promotional materials, major Chinese EV maker Li Auto highlighted the smart cockpit of its recently launched flagship L9 model, which is powered by two Snapdragon SA8155P chips – part of Qualcomm’s range of 7-nanometre automotive semiconductors.
Zeerkr, a new energy vehicle brand under Chinese carmaker Geely, said the smart cockpit in the upgraded 001 model, launched this week, also runs on Qualcomm’s 8155P processor, replacing the previous 820A chip.
The two brands are among a long list of Chinese EV makers, including Xpeng and Nio, that have adopted Qualcomm’s flagship 8155P chip in their latest models, giving the US fabless chip firm – already a leader in the smartphone sector – a clear lead in China’s EV market.
“SA8155P has become a popular choice among car companies because it is a great system-on-chip (SoC) in general,” according to a Li Auto employee. “Other similar products offer worse performance in terms of computing power and other specs.”
Modified from Qualcomm’ 4G smartphone chip 855, the SA8155P provides computing power for Android-based smart cockpit systems, usually equipped with multiple screens and sensor devices.
The chip’s dominance lays bare China’s heavy reliance on imports for high-end semiconductors, despite the country’s efforts to reduce reliance on foreign semiconductor technologies amid US-China tensions.
While China’s import volume of integrated circuits dropped by 10.4 per cent in the first half this year from a year ago, the value of those imports increased by 6.4 per cent to US$210 billion, according to data released by China Customs on Wednesday.