Oct 22 (Reuters) - Qualcomm ( QCOM ) on Tuesday said it

was teaming up with Alphabet's Google to offer a

combination of chips and software that will let automakers

develop their own AI voice assistants using technology from the

two firms.

Qualcomm's ( QCOM ) chips have long powered mobile phones with

Google's Android operating system and the company has expanded

into the automotive business, with chips that can power both a

car's dashboard and automated driving systems that are used by

General Motors ( GM ) and others. On Tuesday, Qualcomm ( QCOM ) said it

is working with Google to create a version of the company's

Android Automotive OS that will run smoothly on Qualcomm ( QCOM ) chips.

While many consumers are familiar with Google's Android Auto

and Apple CarPlay that display apps from a phone when plugged

into a vehicle, Google's Android Automotive OS is an offering

that automakers use behind the scenes to power a vehicle

computing systems. Qualcomm ( QCOM ) and Google said automakers will be

able to use the joint offering and Google's AI technology to

create voice assistants that are unique to an automaker and can

work without relying on a driver's phone.

"Typically, we have operated together, but independently -

we plan a lot of things together, but we go to customers

separately," Nakul Duggal, group manager for automotive at

Qualcomm ( QCOM ), said of the Qualcomm-Google relationship. "We decided

we should think about this differently because it will reduce a

lot of friction and confusion."

Qualcomm ( QCOM ) on Tuesday also rolled out two new chips, one

called Snapdragon Cockpit Elite to power dashboards and another

called Snapdragon Ride Elite for self-driving features. The

company said Mercedes-Benz Group plans to use the

Snapdragon Elite Cockpit chip in future vehicles, though the two

companies did not specify when or in which vehicles the chip

will appear.