BlackBerry and Microsoft are working on something big together, but it has nothing to do with smartphones
- BlackBerry’s QNX will work with Microsoft on software-defined vehicles, or SDVs
- QNX’s software development platform will be available on Microsoft Azure
- This should shorten the time-to-market, allowing products to be delivered faster
BlackBerry, once synonymous with the business smartphone, is now a major player in automotive technology through its QNX platform and has now unveiled a partnership with Microsoft to revolutionize the development of Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs). ).
The company announced The Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) division has partnered with Microsoft in an effort to streamline the development process for automakers.
The partnership will integrate BlackBerry’s software tools into the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, with the QNX Software Development Platform (SDP) 8.0 providing developers an environment for building, testing and refining automotive software.
QNX software on Microsoft Azure
Here, cloud scalability should accelerate a typically longer development cycle. Early testing and the virtual validation of software can resolve issues much earlier, improving time to market for software-defined vehicles.
The partnership will later expand to the QNX Hypervisor virtual machine software and the QNX Cabin reference architecture, as BlackBerry looks to develop next-generation, hardware-agnostic and cloud-based automotive and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
“Together with Microsoft, we are looking at innovative ways to leverage Microsoft Azure AI to support cutting-edge technology early in the development cycle,” said John Wall, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Product, Engineering and Services at QNX.
“This approach accelerates development timelines and minimizes risk, allowing automakers to leverage the scale and development speed inherent in the cloud. Together we are paving the way for the next generation of connected and autonomous vehicles,” he added.
Dayan Rodriguez, Corporate Vice President Manufacturing & Mobility at Microsoft, said the collaboration “reinforces our commitment to providing the automotive industry with cutting-edge technology to accelerate innovation. By combining the strengths of Microsoft Azure and QNX, we enable OEMs able to deliver on the promise of the Software-Defined Vehicle.”