- BlackBerry’s QNX will work with Microsoft in software-defined vehicles or SDVs
- QNX software development platform will be available on Microsoft Azure
- This should shorten time to market, allowing products to be delivered faster.
BlackBerry, once synonymous with the enterprise smartphone, is now a major automotive technology player through its QNX platform and has revealed a partnership with Microsoft to revolutionize the development of software-defined vehicles (SDV).
The company announced that its Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) division is collaborating with Microsoft in a bid to streamline the development process for automakers.
The partnership will integrate BlackBerry software tools into the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, with QNX’s Software Development Platform (SDP) 8.0 giving developers an environment to build, test and refine automotive software.
QNX Software on Microsoft Azure
In this case, cloud scalability should accelerate a typically long development cycle. Early testing and virtual software validation can resolve issues much sooner, improving time to market for software-defined vehicles.
The partnership will later extend to QNX Hypervisor virtual machine software and the QNX Cabin reference architecture, as BlackBerry seeks to develop next-generation, hardware-agnostic, cloud-based IoT and automotive applications.
“Together with Microsoft, we are looking for innovative ways to incorporate Microsoft Azure AI to support cutting-edge technology early in the development cycle,” said John Wall, COO and head of products, engineering and services at QNX.
“This approach accelerates development timelines and minimizes risk, allowing automakers to take advantage of 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 Rodríguez, corporate vice president of manufacturing and mobility at Microsoft, said the collaboration “reinforces our commitment to empowering the automotive industry with cutting-edge technology to accelerate innovation. By combining the strengths of Microsoft Azure and QNX, we are enabling OEMs to meet the promise of the software-defined vehicle.”
