Mr. John Wall reports

QNX, VECTOR AND TTTECH AUTO JOIN FORCES TO DEVELOP FOUNDATIONAL VEHICLE SOFTWARE PLATFORM TO TURBOCHARGE AUTO INNOVATION

QNX, a division of BlackBerry Ltd., Vector and TTTech Auto today signed a multiyear, global undertaking to collaborate, develop and market a foundational vehicle software platform that will end the cumbersome and costly process of software integration, empowering automakers to shift their focus to delivering innovative consumer-facing applications that build brand loyalty, differentiation and value.

Solving the software dilemma -- managing complexity and costs

Today's automakers face a critical dilemma -- while a robust vehicle software platform is a critical enabler for next-generation vehicles, it is expensive to develop and maintain internally while offering little consumer-facing value once complete. The involvement of hundreds of software providers in every single vehicle ECU adds significant complexity, with compounding integration and upgrade costs which can often lead to software incompatibilities, performance issues, deployment challenges and production delays. Hardware-specific dependencies further exacerbate the issue by creating vendor lock-in, limiting portability across different modules and programs. And despite best efforts from industry consortiums, existing vehicle software platform approaches have yet to gain widespread OEM (original equipment manufacturer) acceptance due to performance issues, complex configuration requirements and safety certification hurdles.

Simplifying software-defined vehicle (SDV) development

With the vehicle software platform being built by QNX, Vector and TTTech Auto, automakers will gain a solid software foundation that solves these challenges and which they can build on to deliver the brand differentiating applications and services that are most in demand by their customers. Automakers will also benefit from the governance of an open and transparent multiparty collaboration that will evolve over time to embrace contributions from new ecosystem members. Preintegrated, lightweight and certified to the automotive industry's highest functional safety (ISO 26262 ASIL D) and security (ISO 21434) standards, this vehicle software platform will be simple by design, performant by nature and able to scale vehicle wide, making it easier than ever for automakers to accelerate their software-defined vehicle (SDV) development efforts so they can optimize costs, focus vital resources and deliver better customer experiences.

Freeing automakers to focus on what matters most

"Automakers are under intense pressure to deploy software quickly, simply and at scale -- a demanding reality that often results in a whack-a-mole of issues that distract from their core mission to deliver a compelling in-car experience that differentiates their brand," said John Wall, chief operating officer and head of product, engineering and services, at QNX. "Amidst that backdrop, many have reached out with the same question -- 'can you take care of the heavy lifting of the underlying software stack so we can focus on what matters most to our customers?' Working with like-minded partners in Vector and TTTech Auto, we're excited to be stepping up to the plate, with a holistic vehicle software platform that will make development headaches and managing multiple suppliers a thing of the past, freeing automakers to create the groundbreaking features that will redefine what it means to get behind the wheel."

"Behind the best software engineering organizations in the world exists a mature, well-integrated toolchain," said Alex Oyler, director at the global automotive research firm SBD Automotive. "With the rapid transition to software-defined vehicles, entirely new tools -- and integrations between them -- must be developed to scale development in the world of over-the-air updates, software-in-loop simulation and cloud-native vehicle simulation. Close cooperation between companies like QNX, Vector and TTTech Auto plays a critical role in helping accelerate achievement of crucially important SDV key performance indicators such as faster time-to-market, complexity reduction and work force efficiency."

"Our customers are investing significant time in integrating various components of a vehicle software platform and maintaining it throughout the vehicle's life cycle. By preintegrating more parts upfront, we can drastically reduce the effort required by OEMs, ultimately shortening their time to market. The collaboration between QNX, TTTech Auto and Vector to develop a preintegrated vehicle software platform will enable OEMs to reallocate resources from non-differentiating software to focus on customer-facing functionalities. By jointly creating a vehicle software platform, variants will be reduced, quality and maturity of the software will be increased and the total maintenance costs will be drastically reduced," said Matthias Traub, president and managing director at Vector Informatik.

"At TTTech Auto, we are committed to accelerating the development of software-defined vehicles by providing faster, more robust integration solutions. Our collaboration with QNX and Vector enables us to deliver a scalable platform that supports multiple system on chips (SoCs), ensuring that automakers can innovate rapidly and efficiently. This collaboration marks a significant step forward in simplifying the complexities of vehicle software integration, allowing OEMs to focus on driving experiences for their customers," said Dirk Linzmeier, chief executive officer of TTTech Auto.

The core of the vehicle software platform will be developed and managed in collaboration between QNX and Vector, with the two companies combining their expertise in safe and secure operating systems and proven automotive middleware solutions. Vector will enrich the project with in-depth knowledge in the areas of tooling and testing solutions while TTTech Auto will complement the platform with expertise in the fields of advanced task and communication scheduling and its genuine correct-by-design approach. This partnership also demonstrates the transformation of the collaboration model from the traditional value chain to value network. Upon release, the vehicle software platform will also be open to contributions from additional ecosystem players as well as from open-source initiatives to further strengthen its overall value proposition to automakers.

Additional details on the general availability of the vehicle software platform will be announced in fiscal year 2026.

QNX is trusted as the foundation for a software-driven future by most leading OEMs and Tier 1s worldwide, including BMW, Bosch, Continental, Dongfeng Motor, Geely, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo and more. Its foundational software supports future-proof engineering design, from digital cockpits and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to infotainment systems and domain controllers, enabling automakers to bring innovation to market faster and at lower cost.

QNX's complete suite of automotive offerings will be on display at CES from Jan. 7 to Jan. 10, 2025, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Visit QNX at booth No. 4224 in the West Hall or schedule a meeting with a spokesperson on-line.

About BlackBerry Ltd.

BlackBerry provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world. The company's software powers over 255 million vehicles. Based in Waterloo, Ont., the company leverages AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy solutions and is a leader in the areas of end point management, end point security, encryption and embedded systems. BlackBerry's vision is clear -- to secure a connected future you can trust.

About QNX

QNX, a division of BlackBerry, enhances the human experience and amplifies technology-driven industries, providing a trusted foundation for software-defined businesses to thrive. The business leads the way in delivering safe and secure operating systems, hypervisors, middleware, solutions and development tools, along with support and services delivered by trusted embedded software experts. QNX technology has been deployed in the world's most critical embedded systems, including more than 255 million vehicles on the road today. QNX software is trusted across industries including automotive, medical devices, industrial controls, robotics, commercial vehicles, rail, and aerospace and defence. Founded in 1980, QNX is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada.