BlackBerry Limited has announced the early access release of QNX® Software Development Platform (SDP) 8.0, empowering automakers and IoT systems developers to deliver powerful products at lower costs while upholding the renowned safety, security, and reliability standards of QNX technology.
SDP 8.0, powered by the new next-generation QNX® operating system (OS), maximises the performance potential of multi-core processors, leveraging BlackBerry QNX’s expertise in high-performance EDGE computing. With an inherently safe and secure architecture, SDP 8.0 offers unprecedented 1-to-1 performance scaling, enabling customers to harness the power of next-generation processors and optimise compute resource utilisation. This release sets the stage for the future BlackBerry QNX product portfolio, including OS for Safety and Hypervisor options, catering to diverse development needs.
John Wall, Senior Vice President and Head of BlackBerry QNX, stated that the automotive industry is undergoing a transformation with the redefinition of software in vehicles, transitioning towards zonal, central compute, and Software Defined Vehicles. He highlighted the scalability of SDP 8.0, the QNX OS for Safety, and the QNX Hypervisor as a natural choice for automakers seeking a comprehensive car operating system. BlackBerry is collaborating with NVIDIA to integrate the QNX OS microkernel on the next-generation NVIDIA DRIVE Thor, consolidating automated driving and AI cockpit on a single centralised platform.
Ali Kani, Vice President of Automotive at NVIDIA, emphasised that this partnership with BlackBerry QNX on the DRIVE Thor central computer and the new QNX OS will provide a robust foundation for OEMs to build advanced automotive systems with enhanced safety and security.
Alex Oyler, Director, SBD Automotive, mentioned the increasing demand for better tools in developing technology features for software-defined vehicles, and highlighted the importance of a secured-by-design operating system that seamlessly integrates with other software components for a safe and seamless driving experience. Both automakers and suppliers rely on validated software and integrated development tools to efficiently build and maintain differentiated software for their fleets.