QUALCOMM - MERCEDES-AMG PETRONAS MOTORSPORT
This is the Invention Age.
This is the age when speed over the air creates speed on the track. We packed 30 years of mobile invention into a purpose-built wireless data solution that helps Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport dominate Formula 1.
The Invention Age is at full throttle.
When Qualcomm led the world to 5G, the Invention Age began. It’s an age of unprecedented creativity, when 5G speeds up not just your mobile devices, but your imagination. It’s an age when cars can connect to each other, the road, and virtually everything else. It’s an age when speed over the air creates speed on the track.
Every second counts.
The collaboration between Qualcomm Technologies and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport was a first in motorsports. The innovative wireless system sent tire data to race engineers over the air, replacing a slower car-to-computer plug-in process and allowing the race team to spend more time on the track during practice and qualifying, dialing in their cars for race day. The wireless solution not only helped Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport save time and dominate Formula 1 for the next four seasons, it helped Qualcomm lead the development of 5G and spark the Invention Age — an era of unprecedented creativity.
Snapdragon in pole position.
The wireless system developed and refined by Qualcomm Technologies and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport was updated a number of times since its 2015 inception. But the one thing that has remained constant is the presence of Snapdragon processors. Today, the system sports the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 820 processor, coupled with Qualcomm® Wi-Fi chipsets.
"Winning in Formula One means working with the best in order to innovate in every area – and this is what our relationship with Qualcomm Technologies brings us… Not only have we worked to develop solutions for the track, which give us a competitive advantage each race weekend, but these projects serve as a laboratory for cutting-edge solutions that will make their way into automotive applications in the near future. It’s the perfect demonstration of how the high-tech environment of Formula One can accelerate the development of technologies with applications a long way beyond racing."
-- Toto Wolf, Team Principal & CEO, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport
INNOVATING AND RACING FOR A GREATER PURPOSE
Two teams come together to innovate and win, and in doing so, shape the technology that defines the Invention Age.
When Qualcomm Technologies and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport teamed up and began racing together in 2015, it was an intriguing endeavor – what does a motorsports team have to do with a company associated with smartphones? What may not have been initially obvious was how similar Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport and Qualcomm Technologies were in mindset: both had a roster of talented engineers and players, both were open to invest in new ideas and collaboration, and both were willing to innovate and test wireless technology to gain valuable data that could prove useful in the future — not just for racing but to serve a greater purpose in transforming industries, creating jobs, and enriching lives. Since becoming an Team Partner, Qualcomm Technologies has successfully led the way to 5G and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport has amassed four more Constructors’ Championships.
“What’s special about 5G? How is it better than 4G?” are two questions we often hear. 5G can deliver:
> Multi-gigabit peak speeds — think: superfast connections
> Ultra-low latency — meaning the data you’re sending from your device (smartphone, wearable, gaming device, etc.) gets to where it needs to go (base station, cloud, etc.) in less time, resulting in a more immediate user experience
> Massive capacity — meaning you can work with apps, say mobile games or watch videos in HD or 4K and not worry about screen buffering
> More uniform user experiences — meaning virtually everyone across a coverage area, even those with a weak signal, experience the aforementioned advantages
5G resets the benchmark when it comes to what’s possible with wireless technology, paving the way for many industries to implement connectivity into nearly every aspect of their operations as well as new industries to be born. This is the green light to a new era of unprecedented creativity — this is the beginning of the Invention Age.
Just imagine how some innovative companies could use 5G with their products to transform how fans experience auto racing…
What does every Formula 1 fan dream of? That’s easy: that he or she is sitting in a Silver Arrow as Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas would, on track, going full throttle past the grandstands, passing a rival team. What if a company that specialized in XR/VR experiences worked with a race team to implement a 360 camera on the car and the real-time feed could be transmitted via 5G to fans around the world? Or, what if a company specializing in AI created algorithms based on real race data and implemented that AI on a massive multi-player XR gaming platform?
Beyond fan and gaming experiences, the Invention Age and 5G unlocks new ideas and possibilities, whether you’re indoors or outdoors, in a factory control room or in your living room:
Never stop racing, never stop inventing
Things have come a long way since 2015. Qualcomm Technologies has proven to the world it can lead the world to 5G and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport is aiming for its sixth consecutive Constructor’s championship title – they have won six of six races this season thus far and are heading into Round 7, the Grand Prix of Canada, with a commanding lead. It is a remarkable tale of two teams collaborating and competing together, not only winning races but shaping the technology that will define a new era.
Anthony Eng - Senior Marketing Mgr., Qualcomm Technologies
