Blackberry and Baidu Get together on Self-driving Car Development in China

Blackberry and Chinese search engine giant Baidu have agreed to expand their partnership to provide automakers with the tools they need to launch the next generation of internet-connected self-driving cars in China.

Under this agreement, Baidu’s high-resolution maps will be integrated into Blackberry’s QNX Neutrino Real-Time Operating System. The embedded system will be mass-produced in the GAC New Energy Aion model, which will be released by the electric vehicle division of the GAC Group, one of the three major automobile manufacturers in the United States, which produces more than 2 million units a year.

According to a statement by Wang Yunpeng, senior director of technology at Baidu’s Intelligent Driving Group, the purpose of the new partnership expansion is to “make safety and security a top priority for automakers in the production of self-driving cars. And provide a quick path. ”

The partnership between Baidu and Blackberry is noteworthy because Baidu has a foreign-made operating system on its Chinese-made vehicles, even though the Chinese government is encouraging domestic technology.

Blackberry’s QNX software is responsible for functional safety, network security and reliability, and Baidu is investing in artificial intelligence and deep learning development.

“If the two companies work together to provide superior technology, automakers will be able to quickly produce safe self-driving cars and help drive the co-development of the intelligently networked automotive industry,” says Yunpen.

Blackberry, which once dominated the smartphone industry, has succeeded in incorporating its QNX technology into cars. Today, the software is used in advanced driving assistance to more than 175 million vehicles, digital instrument clusters and infotainment systems.

The deal is based on a January 2018 deal between the two companies to base BlackBerry’s QNX operating system on Baidu’s self-driving open platform, Apollo.

The partnership with Baidu will also help Blackberry continue to grow its market share in China, where it recently entered. In 2020, Blackberry announced that QNX will be integrated in China with Tesla’s rival Xpeng’s electric vehicle.

Dhiraj Handa, Vice President of Channels, Partners and Asia Pacific for BlackBerry Technology Solutions, said in a statement: “Based on Blackberry’s embedded software QNX, Baidu has made significant progress on its Apollo platform and established a commercial ecosystem of innovative technologies that OEMs can use in their next-generation vehicles. “.

Baidu’s self-driving program was called Apollo and was also called “Android for smart driving.” The Apllo program has spread to over 100 manufacturing and supplier partners. Baidu is also energetically testing autonomous driving and launched a robot taxi fleet in September 2020.

The deal was signed shortly after the announcement that Baidu would begin producing cars as well as car software. Baidu announced in early January 2021 that it would launch a new company to build electric vehicles in collaboration with Chinese car maker Geely. Baidu will provide so-called smart driving technology, and Geely will be responsible for design, engineering and vehicle manufacturing.