BlackBerry and Baidu Partner Up for Self-Driving Car Software

BlackBerry Ltd. and Chinese internet search firm, Baidu Inc., signed a deal on Wednesday to jointly develop self-driving vehicle technology to tap the fast-growing autonomous vehicle market.

The Canadian company  signed a deal with the Chinese internet giant as efforts to push into self-driving cars took a new step forward.

Baidu will bundle BlackBerry’s QNX vehicle operating system into its Apollo self-driving car platform, a set of tools that automakers can use when designing autonomous vehicles. The partnership also includes integrating BlackBerry’s more established in-car entertainment software into Apollo.

"By integrating the BlackBerry QNX OS with the Apollo platform, we will enable carmakers to leap from prototype to production systems," said Li Zhenyu, general manager of Baidu's intelligent driving division.

The two companies said that they will also integrate Baidu's CarLife, a leading smartphone integration software for connected cars in China, its conversational AI system and high definition maps with BlackBerry's infotainment platform.

The deal also follows similar agreements with firms including Qualcomm Inc., Denso, and Aptiv Plc. to develop autonomous-driving technology with BlackBerry's QNX software, which are expected to start generating revenue in 2019.

The automotive industry is one of the fastest-growing segments of the technology market, as automakers race to add more features toward building self-driving cars.

BlackBerry’s QNX unit has long been a leader in building systems to run entertainment and mapping programs in cars. Now, the Waterloo, Ontario-based company, is trying to transform that expertise into building operating systems that can run much more complex and demanding self-driving car software, an enormous emerging market.

BlackBerry shares rose as much as 7.8 percent to $12.96 in New York trading Wednesday. They have gained about 86 percent in the past 12 months.

Meanwhile, Baidu, China’s largest search engine provider, has been building the Apollo system and signing up dozens of partners around the world in a bid to eventually become a dominant automotive software company. In September, the Beijing-based company announced a $1.5 billion fund to invest in self-driving car projects over the next three years.

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