The Globe and Mail reports in its Tuesday edition that BlackBerry's share price popped by 13 per cent as the firm deepened its ties to tech giant Nvidia. A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe says the Waterloo, Ont., software developer's share price closed the trading day at $7.50. The rise came after BlackBerry announced it has expanded a partnership that will allow its developers to build and deploy artificial-intelligence systems for Nvidia's IGX Thor platform. Nvidia's IGX Thor is meant to be used in regulated environments for things like autonomous, humanoid and surgical robotics, medical imaging and industrial automation. BlackBerry made its name in the smart phone business but has since transitioned to providing software for vehicles, medical devices and secure communications. Nvidia is one of the world's most prominent tech companies, largely because of the graphics processing units it develops, which power artificial intelligence systems, data centres and advanced computers.