IVY Vine with AWS
BlackBerry announced that BlackBerry IVY™, a cloud-connected automotive AI platform co-developed by BlackBerry and Amazon Web Services (AWS), is now pre-integrated on three commercially-available digital cockpit platforms from leading Tier 1 automotive suppliers Bosch and PATEO, designed to enable automakers to rapidly deploy innovative third party applications that enhance the in-vehicle experience for drivers and passengers alike.
BlackBerry and AWS will demonstrate several BlackBerry IVY-powered applications deployed on commercial automotive platforms including:
- Bosch’s information domain compute platform within a Jeep Grand Cherokee showing innovative AI-based solutions for predictive maintenance of brake and tire wear, powered by Compredict, as well as secure in-vehicle payments, powered by CarIQ. Visitors will be shown how live vehicle data is abstracted, normalized and processed securely to create machine learning (ML) insights helping to predict the behavior of automotive components before maintenance issues arise and secure authentication of vehicle payment transactions.
- PATEO’s intelligent Digital Cockpit, highlighting an EV battery management solution, powered by Electra Vehicles, which is currently being commercialized in the Chinese market by PATEO. This demo will illustrate how IVY insights help power personalized solutions for battery range and driver profiling, alleviating ‘range anxiety.’
- A virtualized BlackBerry IVY platform solution, powered by AWS Graviton processors, demonstrating how automakers can rapidly develop ML-based automotive solutions for scene detection and cybersecurity use cases.
“We have been working hard at building BlackBerry IVY into a flexible and comprehensive software-defined solution to support multiple underlying hardware and software platforms. Invaluable feedback from our partners and customers has contributed to our vision and the latest software release” said Vito Giallorenzo, SVP, General Manager of IVY and Head of Corporate Development at BlackBerry. “BlackBerry IVY is a unique automotive platform that has undergone significant development, is highly scalable and integrated with commonly-used automotive platforms. Automakers and partners can take advantage today of BlackBerry IVY readiness and scalability to help accelerate their software-defined journey, reduce their R&D complexities and achieve faster time-to-market for their monetization services.”
Marelli Acoustics from BlackBerry
BlackBerry announced that Marelli, a leading Tier 1 global automotive supplier, has selected the BlackBerry QNX® Acoustics Management Platform (AMP) as part of its enhanced in-car audio experience within software-defined vehicles. MInD-Xp, the company’s next Cockpit DCU platform, will be demonstrated at CES 2023.
Expanding the companies’ seven-year collaboration, Marelli will deploy the QNX® Acoustics Management Platform (AMP) and QNX® Hypervisor® to significantly improve voice command accuracy and reduce unwanted echo and background noise that can spoil hands-free communications in the car. The Active Sounds Design module within the QNX AMP will also support creation of individual sound zones, voice recognition across multiple zones within the vehicle, and active noise cancellation for a better managed acoustic experience and a more relaxing journey.
“Echoing, background noise interference and poor sound quality have long plagued hands-free communications from in-car audio systems,” said John Wall, SVP and Head, BlackBerry QNX. “With the rise of software-defined vehicles, the industry now has the tools to tackle these irritations and create a better, more enjoyable environment. This is another stride in our long-term collaboration with Marelli to reinvent the journey experience for motoring consumers using intelligent next generation cockpit technology.”
“Once again, we’re employing the proven capabilities of the BlackBerry QNX platform to address the challenges and opportunities of the auto industry’s transformation to the software-defined vehicle,” said Yannick Hoyau, VP – Engineering & Innovation Electronic Systems at Marelli. “Our continued relationship is testimony to not only the commercial value of our combined vision, but also our shared commitment to empower the future of connected cars with secure, safe, and innovative technologies.”
BlackBerry and Marelli began co-developing embedded cockpit systems for four major Chinese automakers in 2016. In 2018, the two companies extended the collaboration to utilize the QNX® Platform for Digital Cockpits in Marelli’s Electronic Systems Cockpit and Digital Cluster solution and, in 2022, Marelli adopted the BlackBerry QNX® Neutrino® RTOS and BlackBerry QNX® Hypervisor to power its Cockpit Domain Controller.
The collaboration with Marelli is the latest application of BlackBerry QNX intelligent cockpit technology platform to deliver an advanced, intuitive acoustic experience in the connected vehicle. Recent announcements include selection by Dayin Technologies to develop acoustic solutions for Great Wall Motors’ premium, next-generation vehicles.
Marelli will be demonstrating the new MInD-Xp cockpit platform at CES, January 5-7, 2023 in Las Vegas, NV at the Wynn Hotel in Latour Ballrooms 5 & 6.
QNX Academy
BlackBerry and Texas Instruments today unveiled the QNX® Academy for Functional Safety, a comprehensive online software developer enablement program designed to turbocharge software innovation efforts and de-risk the product development process for safe and secure embedded systems.
Putting both BlackBerry® QNX® and Texas Instruments™ development tools, evaluation hardware, software, and self-paced training at the fingertips of embedded software developers, the new training academy seeks to accelerate the development of systems that are safe and secure and that offer real-time performance.
“Our collaboration with BlackBerry QNX will help embedded software developers accelerate their product development – allowing them to not only learn but innovate at their own pace,” said Sameer Wasson, Vice President, Processors, Texas Instruments. “High-performance processors, such as the TDA4VM, feature vision, sensor fusion and AI technology can dramatically enhance perception and automation capabilities for a variety of systems. As software developers push the limits of what their systems can do, providing resources to help them more easily meet their functional safety requirements becomes even more critical.”
“When it comes to developing safety-critical systems such as industrial robots, AI vision systems or real-time industrial control systems, it is important that developers have a solid grounding in functional safety and can leverage products and expertise that are proven and trusted in the industry,” said Grant Courville, Vice President, Products and Strategy at BlackBerry QNX. “With BlackBerry QNX and Texas Instruments collaborating, developers of safety systems get the best of all worlds – the powerful TDA4VM Edge AI starter kit evaluation board from Texas Instruments, access to QNX development evaluation licenses, and prebuilt demonstration software that includes support for camera, Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and LiDAR sensors out of the box – all coupled with training developed by some of the world’s foremost functional safety experts from BlackBerry QNX.”
Hosted on the TI Developer Zone, dev.ti.com, the QNX Academy for Functional Safety provides developers with the resources they need to get their safety-critical development projects on the right path, including the powerful TDA4VM Edge AI starter kit from Texas Instruments, access to evaluation licenses of the QNX® Hypervisor for Safety, QNX® Software Development Platform (SDP), and user-friendly self-paced training modules on topics such as safety culture, Safety of the Intended Functionality, Goal Structuring Notation and Bayesian Belief Networks, Fault Tree Analysis, Anomaly Detection, and more. Demonstration hardware and software available through the Academy will enable developers to ‘load and learn’ right out of the box, and apply their learning with practical exercises, providing a foundational understanding about safety-critical development. Additionally, the written and video training content use real-world examples to help developers at every stage of their project.
Garmin Uses BB for Android Automotive
Garmin has selected BlackBerry® QNX® technology for its next-generation, Android Automotive-based proof of concept demonstration at CES 2023. Garmin’s Unified Cabin™ brings together multiple domains, touchscreens and wireless devices on a single SoC (system on chip).
A designated Tier 1 automotive OEM supplier whose connected in-vehicle solutions are sought after for their compelling design, superior quality and value, Garmin provides infotainment and other vehicle electronics hardware and software to leading manufacturers such as BMW Group, Daimler, Ford, Honda, Toyota, and Geely.
BlackBerry will provide Garmin with the BlackBerry QNX® Neutrino® RTOS and QNX® Hypervisor. Garmin chose BlackBerry QNX because of the company’s deep expertise and strong track record of providing leading edge embedded software solutions that deliver safety, reliability and security, along with the company’s support for Google’s latest Android Automotive OS (AAOS) reference implementation (Trout 1.0).
“We are excited to again collaborate with BlackBerry QNX to bring together multiple operating systems onto a single SoC used in Garmin’s Unified Cabin,” said Craig Puder, vice president of Garmin Automotive OEM engineering. “Our strategic relationship grows stronger as automobile manufacturers seek safe and robust ways to safely run Android Automotive and RTOS simultaneously.”
“We’re pleased to have been selected by Garmin, a perennial innovator whose products have enabled people to travel with confidence both on and off the road for decades,” said Grant Courville, VP, Products and Strategy at BlackBerry QNX. “We have a long history of collaboration with Garmin, and we look forward to helping them drive even more automotive digital cockpit innovation based on our products.”
By leveraging the QNX Neutrino RTOS and QNX Hypervisor, Garmin’s Unified Cabin™ incorporates best-in-class BlackBerry security technologies that safeguard users against system malfunctions, malware and cybersecurity breaches. These provide the necessary technology to power the industry’s next generation of products, while also supporting 64-bit ARMv8 computing platforms and Intel x86-64 architecture. ISO 26262 ASIL D certification by TÜV Rheinland also guarantees that OEMs and manufacturers can utilize the QNX Neutrino RTOS and QNX Hypervisor to accelerate product launches and develop connected cars with proven safety and reliable performance.
With a pedigree in functional safety, cybersecurity and continuous innovation, BlackBerry QNX provides OEMs and Tier 1s around the world with state-of-the-art foundational software and cybersecurity technologies. BlackBerry QNX technology is used in more than 215 million vehicles including in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), digital instrument clusters, connectivity modules, handsfree applications, and infotainment systems.
The Garmin Unified Cabin™ with BlackBerry QNX technology will be shown at CES 2023 in the Garmin Booth #3641 in the West Hall.
New Cloud QNX Accelerate
BlackBerry introduced introduced QNX® Accelerate, an initiative that makes the cloud-enabled version of the company’s industry-leading QNX® Neutrino® Real Time Operating System (RTOS) and QNX® OS for Safety available in AWS Marketplace, a digital catalog with thousands of software listings from independent software vendors that make it easy to find, test, buy, and deploy software that runs on Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Running in a cloud environment, this milestone for embedded systems development helps enable mission-critical application developers worldwide to accelerate development cycles and reduce time to market for new, innovative solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT). An industry preview at AWS re:Invent 2022 in November received an enthusiastic response, and shortly the cloud-enabled QNX RTOS and QNX OS for Safety will be widely available to mission-critical embedded systems developers across industries including automotive, robotics, medical devices, industrial controls and aerospace & defense.
“Our market leading QNX Neutrino OS and safety certified QNX OS are now powered by the cloud to help our customers reduce complexity, accelerate innovation and cut costs throughout the entire product lifecycle. Our foundational OS software in the cloud is also a core helper for our customers who are adopting third party tools for simulation and validation at scale,” said Grant Courville, Vice President, Products and Strategy, BlackBerry QNX. “We’re thrilled to have taken an important step in our journey towards providing environmental parity between embedded systems and the cloud by making our QNX OS for Safety available on AWS.”
At CES 2023, BlackBerry QNX will showcase the QNX Neutrino RTOS as an Amazon Machine Image (AMI), running on an instance of Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) powered by AWS Graviton2 processors. The demonstration will illustrate how developers can leverage “hardware in the cloud” to help streamline the development, testing, and integration of foundational automotive software.
Early access versions of the OS in the Cloud project were made available to select OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, including Marelli and Continental, both leading Tier 1 global automotive suppliers who are currently trialing the solution in the development of their next generation automotive technology.
“Migrating our core software stack to the QNX cloud has been a game-changer for our virtual software development and validation efforts, significantly boosting the efficiency of our developers and improving overall time-to-market for new features in the vehicle. This is essential for Continental Automotive Edge (CAEdge) our modular multi-tenant hardware and software framework that connects the vehicle to the cloud,” said Martin Stamm, Technical Lead of the CAEdge framework at Continental. “The environmental parity between the Graviton instances on AWS and the physical vehicle computer allow us to directly deploy the same binaries to the cloud and to the vehicle, marking a very significant first step in our vision towards delivering Software Defined Vehicles, that are built, tested and validated virtually in software before being physically created. We are on our way towards an Automotive Metaverse-like developer environment and QNX will ensure we get there.”
“At AWS, we’re dedicated to providing a path for the auto industry to a software-defined future, combining the power of the cloud with the expertise of our team, our customers, and our AWS Partners,” said Wendy Bauer, general manager of Automotive at AWS. “We saw palpable excitement at our AWS re:Invent conference and now at CES OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers like Continental are reaching new, significant milestones. I’m confident the industry will realize its vision of transformation with the power of AWS Graviton2 processors, the elasticity of the cloud, and environmental parity throughout the development process.”