BlackBerry and Baidu team up on self driving car tech

Chinese internet search firm Baidu has teamed up with BlackBerry to work on self-driving car tech jointly. Both the companies will collaborate to accelerate the deployment of connected and autonomous vehicle technology. The deal concentrates on developing autonomous-driving technology with BlackBerry’s QNX software and it is expected to start gaining profits by next year.

"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.

As a part of the agreement, BlackBerry and Baidu will also integrate Baidu's smartphone integration software for connected cars and its AI system to run on the BlackBerry QNX Platform, the Canadian software maker said.

"Joining forces with Baidu will enable us to explore integration opportunities for multiple vehicle subsystems, including ADAS, infotainment, gateways, and cloud services," John Wall, senior vice president and general manager of BlackBerry QNX, said.

Additionally, the two companies will also integrate its conversational AI system DuerOS, CarLife and high definition map to run on the BlackBerry QNX Car (Infotainment) Platform.