Qualcomm Technologies plans to add support for Google’s new Android Things operating system to its flagship Snapdragon mobile processor. Based on ARM’s low-power cores, Snapdragon processors are the brains inside most of today’s top-of-the-line smartphones.
The chipmaker said its partnership with Google will create a unique opportunity to help “internet of things” application developers overcome the challenges of a fragmented ecosystem.
“We anticipate Android Things running on Snapdragon processors will offer developers familiar connectivity environments, including cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth; support for a wide array of sensors; camera, graphics, multimedia and rich [user interface] capabilities; hardware-based security; Google services and cloud integration; test and optimization tools, and more,” Qualcomm said in a statement.
Android Things is still a work in progress; Google released a developer preview this week. Qualcomm said Android Things should be released more broadly next year on Snapdragon processors.
Google said it is incorporating feedback from Project Brillo to include Android Studio, the software development kit, Google Play services and the Google cloud platform.
“We anticipate many new and exciting IoT products will result as developers are able to bring the power of the Snapdragon processor together with Android Things,” said Jeffery Torrance, VP of business development at Qualcomm Technologies.
Qualcomm Technologies operates all of Qualcomm’s product lines, including its huge semiconductor business. Qualcomm Incorporated, the parent company, controls Qualcomm’s patent portfolio and operates its licensing business, which is the most profitable part of the company.
