So the stakes are high, and many companies are already playing hard. There were important announcements from two of the most established chip suppliers in the auto sector, NXP and Nvidia – the former particularly closely watched because it will soon be part of Qualcomm. Its launches reminded the industry how strategic an acquisition it will be, bringing significant depth and breadth to its new parent’s auto offering, surrounding the core Snapdragon modem/processor with many other car-related chips, and adding valuable connections with the car industry and its channels. The main CES launch by NXP was a software defined radio (SDR) solution for IVI systems called the SAF4000. This claims to be the world’s first one-chip system covering all global…