It’s not every day that a technology-driven artist teams up with a global chipmaking powerhouse to redefine the future of mobility, AI, and media. But when will.i.am, the creative artist and founder of FYI.AI, joined Don McGuire, Senior Vice President and CMO of Qualcomm, on the sidelines of the Snapdragon Auto Day 2025 in India, the conversation wasn’t just about entertainment; it was about infrastructure, about the digital chassis and about Snapdragon powering the future of automotive industry.
This wasn’t a pitch for gadgets. It was a glimpse into a world where intelligence lives on the edge, not in the cloud. And India, they both agreed, may be the ultimate proving ground for that vision.
SurveyWhy Snapdragon’s Edge AI Could Transform Indian Roads
The conversation began with will.i.am marvelling at Indian traffic: cows sharing space with sedans, people flowing through seemingly chaotic intersections. To many, it’s a disorder, to Qualcomm, it’s data that’s rich in real-world variability; one that demands smarter, more adaptive AI models.
Snapdragon’s automotive platforms are built for that kind of complexity. Don McGuire emphasised Qualcomm’s full-stack approach: “We’re not just selling chips. We’re building scalable solutions, from connectivity to compute to driver assistance.”
Qualcomm’s differentiation, he said, is in how they treat the car as a software-defined platform, where intelligence isn’t patched in later but designed from the ground up.
Snapdragon Ride, for instance, isn’t simply an ADAS solution. It’s a core building block in Qualcomm’s Digital Chassis, a modular architecture that can scale from two-wheelers to luxury sedans and everything in between.
From Silicon to Soul: Partnering to Build Intelligent Media
will.i.am’s FYI RAiDiO, now running on Snapdragon platforms, is a case study in how Qualcomm enables creativity at the edge. It’s not just a futuristic radio; it’s a reimagined media system that blends AI with human curation, all while operating locally to preserve privacy.
FYI RAiDiO’s architecture leverages Qualcomm’s on-device compute power to run conversational agents without sending sensitive data to the cloud. “Your AI shouldn’t be a village tool,” will.i.am said. “It should live with you. Learn from you. And stay yours.” Qualcomm’s edge-first approach makes that not only possible, but scalable.
The partnership was formalised in March at SXSW. Within weeks, Snapdragon was powering both FYI RAiDiO and FYI SoundDrive, an interactive music remixing platform that reacts to vehicle telemetry in real time. From ideation to implementation, under 6 months. “That’s not common at our scale,” Don noted. “We move like a startup. It’s part of our DNA.”
“We went from a handshake in January to a chip on Snapdragon by July. That’s Qualcomm for you,” said will.i.am, on the speed of executing the Qualcomm-FYI partnership.
The Digital Chassis: A Platform, Not a Part
What sets Snapdragon apart isn’t just raw power, it’s the flexibility. Qualcomm’s Digital Chassis offers modularity across cockpit systems, ADAS, infotainment, and cloud services. Whether it’s an entry-level scooter or a luxury EV, OEMs can pick from performance tiers and software stacks that suit their needs. Instead of forcing a one-size-fits-all model, Qualcomm offers flexible tiers that OEMs can mix and match across different vehicle segments.
“We’re not in the ASIC business,” Don clarified. “But we do customise platforms. And we let OEMs mix and match. You want Flex SoCs that bundle ADAS and cockpit together? Done. Prefer them separate? Also fine.”
This versatility is especially important in markets like India. “We were the first to ask, why can’t two-wheelers have intelligent systems?” Qualcomm sees the untapped two- and three-wheeler markets as a vital frontier. With Snapdragon at the heart, even low-cost mobility can get high-end smarts, from contextual navigation to real-time vehicle diagnostics.
“The idea is to let automakers build smarter, safer, more connected vehicles on their terms,” he added.
Edge Computing Meets Ethical AI
At the philosophical level, this collaboration is about trust. Both will.i.am and Qualcomm believe AI should not just be smart, it should be responsible.
Snapdragon’s latest chips can run billions of parameters on-device, powerful enough for real-time inference, secure enough to keep your data yours. “The edge is privacy. The edge is sovereignty,” Don said about systems that don’t rely on constant cloud connectivity. This ability to host large models locally is what makes products like FYI Radio viable and trustworthy
In will’s words: “We’re not building AI sheep. We’re building agents that respect human intent.”
India: Not Just a Market, But a Launchpad
Qualcomm’s ambition in India goes far beyond partnerships. With teams in Chennai and Bangalore, and a commitment to R&D for the local market, the company is positioning India as a global nerve centre for edge intelligence.
“We’re not adapting global tech for India,” said Don. “We’re building for India, with India, from day one. This is where the next frontier is. And we’re going fast.”
Qualcomm’s vision is clear: Snapdragon won’t just power the next generation of infotainment. It will be the intelligence behind mobility, media, and everything in between.
The Agentic Future: Beyond Apps, Into Interaction
will.i.am closed with a provocative thought: “This isn’t about apps anymore. It’s about agents.”
Snapdragon’s edge infrastructure is what will power those agents, not just in your phone, but in your car, your headphones, your life. A new App Store moment is coming, but this time, it’s not about software you open. It’s about intelligence that opens up to you.
And when that moment arrives, Qualcomm won’t just be there. Snapdragon will be inside.
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