Partnership Origins and Platform Development

BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) and Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) announced their multi-year, global agreement on December 1, 2020, to develop BlackBerry IVY, an intelligent vehicle data platform. This collaboration combines BlackBerry’s QNX real-time operating system expertise with AWS cloud infrastructure capabilities to create a standardized solution for connected vehicle applications.

BlackBerry IVY is a scalable, cloud-connected software platform that allows automakers to provide a consistent and secure way to read vehicle sensor data, normalize it, and create actionable insights from that data. The platform addresses the automotive industry’s fundamental challenge of managing diverse electrical architectures and sensor configurations across different vehicle manufacturers and models.

Technical Architecture and Capabilities

The BlackBerry IVY platform functions as middleware software that abstracts vehicle signals and enables developers to process data with standardized code. This approach eliminates the need for developers to understand the unique characteristics of each vehicle’s architecture, significantly reducing development time and complexity.

The platform leverages BlackBerry’s QNX Hypervisor technology, which provides the safety-critical foundation necessary for automotive applications. BlackBerry QNX demonstrates its industry-leading Real Time Operating System (RTOS) along with BlackBerry IVY running natively on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instances, enabling both in-vehicle processing and cloud-based analytics.

Market Launch and Availability

BlackBerry IVY became generally available in May 2023, following two years of comprehensive development efforts and numerous iterations tested with pilot partners and customers. The platform’s commercial launch represents a significant milestone in the connected vehicle industry, providing automakers with a production-ready solution for data-driven vehicle services.

Prior to general availability, BlackBerry showcased the platform’s capabilities at CES 2023, demonstrating IVY-powered applications running on three commercially-available automotive platforms. These demonstrations highlighted the platform’s versatility and real-world applicability across different vehicle types.

Major Industry Partnerships

Foxconn/MIH Consortium Partnership

On January 9, 2024, Mobility in Harmony (MIH) Consortium, a Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) initiative, announced its selection of BlackBerry IVY to power its next-generation Project X and future passenger and commercial vehicle reference platforms. According to BlackBerry, Foxconn has selected BlackBerry IVY to power both its EVs, which are scheduled to start production in 2025, as well as the platform offered to third-party OEMs.

This collaboration builds on an earlier partnership established between MIH and BlackBerry in July 2023. The deployment will integrate IVY into vehicle digital cockpits, providing real-time monitoring capabilities for vehicle health and performance.

Stellantis Integration

Stellantis has integrated BlackBerry’s QNX Hypervisor technology through AWS Marketplace, enabling the creation of realistic virtual versions of car controls and systems. This integration allows Stellantis to simulate physical vehicle components accurately, accelerating development and testing processes.

Application Use Cases and Industry Impact

BlackBerry IVY enables various data-driven automotive applications. For example, the platform can analyze vehicle data to recognize driver behavior patterns and hazardous road conditions such as icy surfaces or heavy traffic. Based on this analysis, the system can recommend activating relevant vehicle safety features including traction control, lane-keeping assist, or adaptive cruise control.

The platform’s standardized approach allows developers across industries to design and deploy automotive services more efficiently. This capability has led to increased innovation in connected vehicle applications, with developers able to focus on creating value-added services rather than managing technical integration complexities.

Strategic Market Position

BlackBerry’s Vito Giallorenzo has indicated the company’s long-term commitment to the IVY platform, describing it as “a big vision” for the company’s future in connected vehicles. The partnership with AWS positions both companies to capitalize on the growing demand for connected vehicle services and the increasing sophistication of automotive technology.

The collaboration represents a strategic approach to digital transformation in the automotive sector, combining BlackBerry’s automotive safety expertise with Amazon’s cloud computing leadership. This partnership creates opportunities for automakers to collaborate with broader technology ecosystems while maintaining security and safety standards.

Industry Outlook

The BlackBerry-AWS partnership addresses critical industry needs as vehicles become increasingly connected and data-driven. By providing standardized APIs and consistent data processing capabilities, BlackBerry IVY reduces barriers to innovation in automotive software development.

The platform’s adoption by major manufacturers like Foxconn demonstrates market validation for the standardized approach to connected vehicle technology. As the automotive industry continues its digital transformation, platforms like BlackBerry IVY are positioned to play crucial roles in enabling new connected and autonomous vehicle capabilities.

About the Companies: BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) is a global leader in intelligent security software and services. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) provides cloud computing services through Amazon Web Services.