By Stephen Nellis

(Reuters) – General Motors (NYSE) announced Thursday that a trio Qualcomm (NASDAQ) Inc chips will be powering the next-year’s “Ultra Cruise” driver-assistance feature in a Cadillac luxury sedan.

Qualcomm chips will power the Celestiq all-electric sedan, which is the company’s flagship model. According to the automaker, Ultra Cruise will enable hands-free driving on surface roads and freeways. This is in addition to GM’s Super Cruise feature which only works on highways.

You still need to pay attention because it’s a controlled system. However, what we are doing is giving drivers a hands-free experience within a larger area,” explained Jason Ditman chief engineer at Ultra Cruise.

The system’s heart will consist of a computer roughly the same size as two laptops stacked together. GM will supply the software, while Qualcomm provides key chips – two processor chip and one designed for specific functions.

Qualcomm is known for its chips for mobile phones, and this deal represents a major milestone. Qualcomm is not the only automaker that has signed deals to supply chips for infotainment systems and 5G connectivity. GM, however, was the first company to utilize Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Ride chips for autonomous driving features.

Qualcomm faces competition from Nvidia Corp (NASDAQ 🙂 Intel Corp Mobileye (NASDAQ:), to make deals with automakers in exchange for self-driving chip technology. Automakers must ensure that the chips are energy efficient. Electric vehicles have limited battery life and computers need to compete with each other for power.

Qualcomm wants to draw automakers by using its past as a manufacturer of chips for smartphones, where battery life has been a major selling point. GM’s Ditman did not reveal the Ultra Cruise computer’s power, but it is air-cooled. That means the chips will likely use less power and produce less heat than competitors that require liquid cooling.

Ditman stated, “We are very aware of our power consumption.”