MARANELLO: Ferrari NV will partner with Qualcomm Inc. to overhaul its car dashboards as new chief executive officer Benedetto Vigna tries to pick up the pace of the automaker’s shift towards batteries and digital technologies.
The companies will work together on a “digital cockpit” and explore opportunities to aid Ferrari’s tech shift, the Italian luxury-car maker said Tuesday. The partnership will extend to Ferrari’s esports activities.
“We expand our knowledge in digital technologies and Web 3.0, areas with great potential for automotive and motorsport,” Vigna said in a statement.
Forging closer ties with Qualcomm may come in handy for Ferrari when navigating the semiconductor shortage that’s poised to continue weighing on automotive production this year.
Qualcomm, the biggest maker of chips that run smartphones, is trying to diversify its client base and has been pushing its Snapdragon platform with automotive customers. Last month, General Motors Co. said Qualcomm’s chips will power its driver-assistance system Ultra Cruise.
Ferrari in January began revamping its organisational structure and hiring managers with experience in technology.
It’s also set up a department exploring opportunities in digital services.
The firm posted better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings last week as it managed to dodge the fallout from the supply-chain snarls that hit many of its competitors.
Vigna joined in September from chipmaker STMicroelectronics NV, where he led the division that supplies key sensors used in Apple Inc.’s iPhone and automakers’ navigation systems. Ferrari plans to detail its strategy for electrification at a capital markets day in June.
