BlackBerry is on the move.
BlackBerryBlackBerry is going big with Baidu, the Chinese rival to Google. On Monday, BlackBerry said Baidu's high-definition mapping technology for vehicles will run on the company's QNX Neutrino real-time operating system. Specifically, the tech will head to Guangzhou Automobile Group and future EVs from the company will feature the BlackBerry/Baidu technology.
It's another step for BlackBerry to plant roots in China after it closed a deal with Baidu to provide its software to the search engine giant's Apollo self-driving car program. While the software may start as a backbone for today's driver-assist technologies, the goal is to create a fully automated driving system some day in the future. BlackBerry said its software already helps power 175 million cars with various active safety and driver-assist functions.
We'll have to wait and see if this deal expands even further with Baidu. The company recently revealed it plans to build its own cars with Geely as its partner. Everything from the industrial supply chain, to vehicle design and manufacturing, to sales and service are all part of the company's plans. To put the decision into context, it'd be a lot like Google saying it plans to manufacture its own cars and sell them with a partner. Perhaps BlackBerry won't stop here.
