Driving Innovation: BlackBerry QNX Foundational Software Takes Center Stage at CES 2024
The 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) proved once again it is a global epicenter for cutting-edge technologies. And this year, BlackBerry® QNX® exhibited game-changing performance when it comes to secure and interconnected mobility.
QNX is poised to redefine the future of automotive technology. Central to the showcase at CES® 2024, was an exhibition that illuminates how a top-tier software platform empowers OEMs to deliver standout products swiftly, cost-effectively, and with meticulously crafted software designs.
Here are the top announcements made by BlackBerry QNX and BlackBerry IVY at CES this year.
High Performance Meets Safety and Security with QNX SDP 8.0
The BlackBerry IoT division announced the general availability of its new QNX® SDP (software development platform) 8.0 at CES 2024. Combined with the next-generation QNX® OS 8.0, the platform delivers a scalable, high-performance real-time operating system available for today’s compute-intensive platforms, such as autonomous driving and robotic systems across the Internet of Things.
The fifth-generation QNX SDP 8.0 architecture builds on decades of development, and a field-proven safe and secure platform, enabling developers to fully realize the power and opportunities of increasingly advanced, next-generation silicon.
“QNX SDP 8.0 provides the trusted foundation upon which our customers can truly future-proof their products for many years to come,” said John Wall, senior vice president and head of QNX at BlackBerry. “It fundamentally enables embedded software design to support safe, secure, and reliable systems in a way that fully harnesses the benefits of CPU advancements way into the future.”
Software-Defined Audio Is Here: Meet QNX Sound
BlackBerry also announced the launch of QNX® Sound. This innovative development platform decouples audio and acoustics software from the vehicle hardware, to give audio designers and engineers complete creative freedom to deliver new and exciting in-vehicle sound experiences. QNX Sound allows automakers to consolidate all audio and acoustic functions seamlessly and cost-effectively within the main software stack of the software-defined vehicle (SDV) architecture.
For the first time, QNX Sound offers an entirely software-driven foundation for automakers to explore new audio-based services and collaborations. It will allow technology companies and multimedia content providers to bring new, value-add features into the vehicle – further unlocking new revenue streams, such as upgrades of basic audio to a branded premium version, and on-demand or subscription services.
Hendrik Hermann, vice president of automotive at Dirac, shared his enthusiasm for revolutionizing car audio, and the capabilities that QNX Sound provides. “At Dirac, our passion is to unlock the untapped potential in every audio system, particularly in cars, where great sound is a vital part of the experience,” Hermann said. “Working hand-in-hand with the team at BlackBerry QNX, we've integrated a fully scalable Dirac plug-in, featuring all our technologies that seamlessly integrate with the QNX Sound platform. This collaboration empowers OEMs with easy access to our solutions, maximizing fidelity and immersion, and offers the flexibility to continually enhance and refresh the in-car audio experience for listeners.”
Stellantis, BlackBerry QNX, and AWS Launch Virtual Cockpit
The virtual cockpit development platform introduced at CES by Stellantis, along with BlackBerry QNX and AWS, allows the global automaker to deliver new infotainment tech to customers “100 times faster than previous processes.”
A key component of the Stellantis Virtual Engineering Workbench (VEW), it is the first development platform of its kind. It uses the QNX® Hypervisor in the cloud, now available on early-access release via AWS Marketplace within the QNX® Accelerate portfolio of cloud-based tools.
The platform for mixed-criticality and multi-OS embedded application development includes QNX Hypervisor, Amazon Machine Images (AMIs), and industry-standard hardware interfaces, as defined in the VirtIO standard Trout v1.2. With tools such as virtualization of graphics, audio, and inputs, the solution allows users to run QNX Hypervisor-based systems in the cloud with little to no difference from running on physical hardware.
“Software virtualization and abstraction in the cloud is vital to accelerating development and maintaining feature delivery on-pace with consumer demand,” said Wendy Bauer, vice president and general manager of automotive and manufacturing at AWS. “With BlackBerry’s QNX Hypervisor on AWS Marketplace, Stellantis can easily harness the power of the cloud to reimagine research and development processes, architect more insightful ways to solicit and integrate feedback, and deliver functions faster than before (to) delight drivers and further the industry.”
Transforming Developer Experiences with BlackBerry IVY
BlackBerry IVY® returned to the CES 2024 showcase, demonstrating how developers can take full advantage of the power of the cloud to make the creation of OEM-approved third-party apps easier. BlackBerry IVY slashes app development time, enabling developers to integrate software into vehicles within days, not months. A range of new ecosystem partners were also announced. The Mobility in Harmony (MIH) Consortium featured the IVY™ platform’s intelligent fleet capabilities, with IVY insights driven by Electra Vehicles Inc., COMPREDICT GmbH, and CEREBRUMX.
A Jeep® Grand Cherokee parked in the QNX booth demonstrated how Bosch Nessy, another innovative cockpit design, incorporates QNX OS and QNX Hypervisor, as well as BlackBerry IVY – all key building blocks for reliable systems that enable OEMs to reduce cost, differentiate their products, and generate new revenue streams.
Also on display at CES 2024 for BlackBerry QNX this year was the Ford® F-150® Lightning®, showcasing the diverse applications of QNX technology across modern vehicle architectures. The 2023 North American Truck of the Year category winner runs QNX software across four separate domains: instrument cluster, gateway, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), and infotainment.
CES Final Thoughts
CES is full of advancements that are often years, sometimes decades away, from reaching the market. But the news from CES 2024 is that BlackBerry QNX and BlackBerrry IVY are ready for your organization to explore and implement right now. The future of automotive is already on the road.
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About David McCourt
David McCourt is Content Marketing Manager at BlackBerry QNX.
