Qualcomm, the overlord of mobile phone chips, is now sweeping the artificial intelligence PC and intelligent cockpit chip market, and with the Snapdragon 8295, it has naturally become the cockpit hegemon of the automotive track. Not only Qualcomm, MediaTek is also "meeting at the top" in the efficiency competition, and domestic manufacturers such as UNISOC and SemiDrive are also actively seeking opportunities to make breakthroughs in the intelligent cockpit chip market and become the next market leader who may replace Qualcomm.
According to IHS Markit, the global smart cockpit market will grow from $34.5 billion in 2019 to $68.1 billion in 2030, with the growth of the Chinese market being particularly significant. It is estimated that by 2030, China's market size will reach US$24.7 billion, and its market share will rise to 36%, becoming the world's major consumer market for smart cockpits. The penetration rate of smart cockpits is increasing rapidly in China and is expected to reach 75% by 2025, far exceeding the global average.
In the field of intelligent cockpit chips, domestic companies such as Huawei, Xinqing Technology, SemiDrive Technology, AutoChips Technology, and Allwinner Technology are actively deploying. Huawei's Kirin 990A chip has been installed in many models, and as China's first 7nm automotive-grade intelligent cockpit chip, Huawei's "Dragon Eagle No. 1" is a high-end automotive-grade multi-core heterogeneous intelligent cockpit processor with built-in 8 core CPUs, 14-core GPUs, and 8 TOPS AI computing power, with powerful computing power and AI processing capabilities. SiEngine has accelerated the mass production period in the field of high-performance intelligent cockpit SoC, and is expected to occupy a place in the future market. Shipments have exceeded the 200,000.
Figure: The rise of China's smart cockpit market
The rise of these companies not only demonstrates China's technical strength in the field of intelligent cockpit chips, but also promotes the development of the entire industrial chain. MediaTek also has a layout in the field of automotive chips, and its Dimensity automotive cockpit platforms CT-X1, CT-Y1 and CT-Y0 support more advanced and complex end-side generative AI models, providing more possibilities for vehicle interaction, safety, entertainment and operation. MediaTek is leading in AI computing power and process in an all-round way, which is expected to break Qualcomm's monopoly position in the cockpit chip market.
To become the next "Qualcomm" replacement, domestic smart cockpit chip manufacturers need to strengthen in the following aspects:
Technological innovation: Continue to invest in R&D to improve chip performance, power consumption and cost competitiveness to meet market and customer needs.
Market expansion: increase market promotion efforts, expand market share, establish close cooperation with car companies, and jointly promote the development of the intelligent cockpit industry.
Brand building: strengthen brand building and publicity, enhance brand awareness and reputation, and establish a good corporate image.
Talent training: strengthen the construction of talent team, attract and train a group of high-quality technical and management talents, and provide a strong guarantee for the development of enterprises.
China's smart cockpit chip market is in a stage of rapid development, and local companies are gradually improving their competitiveness in this field through technological innovation and market expansion. With the further development of the smart car industry, it is expected that the domestic smart cockpit chip market will usher in a broader space for development. In the future, with the continuous progress of technology and the continuous growth of market demand, China's smart cockpit chip market is expected to occupy a more important position in the world.
