Baidu to Use BlackBerry QNX Software in Autonomous Car Platform

BlackBerry has announced a partnership with Baidu. The Chinese internet company will use the BlackBerry QNX operating system for its Apollo platform, which serves as the basis for self-driving cars.

According to BlackBerry, the companies have signed a letter of intent to use the QNX operating system in the Apollo platform. In addition, the companies will integrate CarLife, DuerOS and Baidu roadmaps into the QNX Car platform. CarLife is smartphone integration software for self-driving vehicles in China, DuerOS is Baidu’s smart assistant.

Automakers can use Baidu’s Apollo platform to create self-driving cars. Baidu is said to have more than seventy partners for the platform, including car manufacturers, suppliers and developers. According to Baidu, the integration of BlackBerry QNX into the Apollo platform will allow automakers to move from prototype to production faster.

Last year, Nvidia announced that Baidu will use PX2 hardware for the Apollo platform. Tesla, among others, also uses PX hardware from Nvidia for autonomous functions. In October, Baidu said it aims to begin mass production of partially autonomous cars in 2019, in partnership with Chinese automaker BAIC.