How QNX redefined BlackBerry’s future: The acquisition that transformed Research in Motion

 The revival of BlackBerry is a classic case study in resilience. A company once on a slippery slope found its footing again through one strategic acquisition, not to reclaim its smartphone glory, but to reinvent itself in an entirely different industry. BlackBerry’s comeback story began long before the world stopped buying its phones. In 2010, as its handset business faltered, the company acquired QNX from Harman, a move that seemed small at the time but now reads like a masterstroke.

Harman had used QNX extensively for automotive infotainment, but BlackBerry recognised something much bigger. QNX was a real-time, safety-focused operating system built for mission-critical environments. That one acquisition enabled BlackBerry to pivot from declining hardware to high-assurance software, and laid the foundation for its current leadership in automotive, rail, industrial systems, and embedded platforms. QNX became the engine of the company’s reinvention, transforming BlackBerry from a handset maker into one of the world’s most trusted software providers for safety-critical applications.

This reinvention was evident at the BlackBerry QNX TECH Forum India 2025 in Bengaluru held recently. One message stood out from Dhiraj Handa, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific, BlackBerry QNX. India is no longer just another market. It is emerging as a strategic hub for safety-critical software, software-defined vehicles (SDVs), and embedded talent. Much of BlackBerry’s momentum and market traction today is coming from India.

QNX positions itself as a certified foundational software platform for embedded systems, with a strong presence in automotive and mission-critical applications such as rail, medical devices, industrial controls, robotics, energy, and aerospace. Its portfolio spans operating systems, hypervisors, cloud enablement, development tools, frameworks, and specialised safety and security services for environments where failure is not an option.

According to the company, QNX now powers more than 255 million vehicles across the world. It is used by all major automakers and leading Tier 1 suppliers, supported by an ecosystem of semiconductor vendors, distributors, and value-added integrators active across digital cockpits, ADAS, battery management, and telematics.

Inside Mahindra’s BE EV Cockpit Powered by QNX

 Mahindra uses QNX for its cockpit domain controller in the XUV700, and a growing number of Indian partners, from embedded design houses to rail technology firms, are building on the platform. Veer Beede, Director, Engineering Services, BlackBerry QNX gives a sneak peek.

Complexity Is Moving From Hardware to Software

Handa noted that the automotive and embedded industries are in the middle of a major architectural shift. Traditional vehicles relied on a distributed model, with hundreds of discrete electronic control units, each handling a single function. That era is giving way to domain-centralised and increasingly vehicle-centralised architectures based on high-performance compute.

This shift moves the industry from simple microcontrollers to powerful multicore system-on-chips with dedicated hardware accelerators. Mixed-criticality workloads, including safety-related functions and rich infotainment, now run on the same silicon. Software complexity and regulatory scrutiny rise sharply, while tolerance for failure remains extremely low.

QNX addresses this with its microkernel-based real-time operating system. Only the most critical functions run inside the kernel. Everything else runs in isolated user space. This design naturally supports functional safety and cybersecurity. A fault in one service cannot bring down the entire system. The attack surface is significantly smaller than that of a monolithic kernel. Updates can be applied without destabilising core functions.

It may sound deeply technical, but this is the heart of the transformation. QNX OS for Safety, QNX Hypervisor for Safety, and related components are certified or designed for compliance with ISO 26262 for automotive functional safety, IEC 61508 for industrial applications, IEC 62304 for medical software, and ISO or SAE 21434 for cybersecurity. Because these products are treated as safety elements out of context, OEMs and Tier 1s do not need to recertify them for every new hardware platform. This saves significant time and cost.

SDP 8, Cabin and Sound: Building Blocks for SDV Programmes

At the Bengaluru forum, QNX showcased three flagship product lines that anchor its SDV strategy.

QNX SDP 8.0 is described as a once in a decade release. It is built for next-generation multicore system-on-chips and delivers high performance, determinism, and scalability across automotive and industrial processors.

QNX Cabin is a hardware-portable framework for digital cockpit development. It allows teams to prototype, integrate, and validate cockpit software, including instrument clusters and infotainment systems, using cloud-based workflows without relying on scarce hardware.

QNX Sound targets audio as a key differentiator in the software-defined era. It brings audio and acoustics together in a single, production-ready software platform. As carmakers use sound design and in-cabin experiences to differentiate their brands, a safety-aware, software-defined audio stack becomes central to cockpit strategy.

These platforms are supported by professional services across architecture consulting, functional safety, virtualisation, middleware, and cloud enablement. For Indian OEMs and Tier 1s, the QNX Centre of Excellence in Hyderabad provides expert engineering support for both local and global programmes.

Indian Developers Are Leading the SDV Shift

A new QNX commissioned study covering 1,100 automotive software developers, including 100 in India, revealed India’s growing influence in SDV development.

Indian developers reported some of the longest development cycles and the highest impact from software recalls. They sit at the centre of global programmes, regulatory changes, and hardware limitations, yet remain among the most resilient and forward-looking teams.

Seventy-two per cent say recent recalls have significantly changed their approach to development. Regulatory complexity, including over the air update requirements, cybersecurity rules, data privacy laws, and functional safety standards, is a major factor. Even so, 99 per cent of Indian respondents say they are confident about staying compliant.

Eighty-five per cent believe automakers should prioritise application-layer innovation over building foundational software from scratch. Ninety-eight per cent say cross-industry partnerships are essential. There is clear momentum for OEMs to stop reinventing core infrastructure and instead focus on differentiated driver and passenger experiences.

AI is a major theme. Ninety-three per cent of Indian developers expect AI to play a transformational role in automotive software within the next three to five years. They estimate that AI tools could replace around 43 per cent of current tasks by 2035. Many see AI-driven personalisation as the defining SDV feature by 2030.

From Cars to Metros: Rail Emerges as a Strategic Use Case

While QNX has strong traction in automotive, the forum highlighted its growing relevance in rail.

Medha Servo Drives has selected QNX OS for Safety as the foundation for the next generation of communications-based train control systems across India’s monorail and metro networks. These systems enable real-time train control, optimised headways, fewer delays, and smoother passenger experience.

The CBTC solution meets EN 50128 SIL 4, the highest safety integrity level for rail signalling, and uses QNX’s pre-certified safety capabilities to ensure reliability and fault tolerance. QNX already powers rail systems in South Korea and Portugal, and the India rollout signals a broader aim to serve as the digital safety backbone for national infrastructure.

Building a Deep Embedded Talent Pipeline

QNX’s partnership with Pi Square Technologies through the QNX Everywhere in Education for India initiative is central to its long-term strategy. Since February 2025, it has created regional clusters, signed more than 50 agreements with engineering institutions, trained 74 faculty members, enrolled over 2,600 students, and launched 14 learning labs with QNX SDP 8.0 running on Raspberry Pi 4 devices.

This programme supports the company’s Engineering and Innovation Centre in Hyderabad and strengthens India’s embedded engineering talent pipeline.

What This Means for India’s Tech and Auto Ecosystem

Together, the forum insights, product roadmap, and partner announcements reveal three clear trends.

First, complexity in critical systems is moving rapidly toward software, and foundational platforms that ensure safety and reliability are becoming essential.

Second, India is emerging as both a proving ground and a growth engine, with developers who are highly resilient, collaborative, and optimistic about the SDV future.

Third, QNX is investing deeply in customers, partners, and academia, creating long-term foundations across India’s embedded technology landscape.

Source: Compnay presentation

For Indian OEMs, Tier 1s, and system integrators, the question is no longer whether to join the SDV and safety-critical software wave, but how. The QNX story suggests a clear path. Build on proven foundational software, leverage specialised local expertise, and channel engineering capacity into experiences that truly matter to drivers, passengers, and citizens.

As cars become rolling data centres, metros evolve into automated, sensor-rich networks, and classrooms train the next generation of embedded talent, platforms like QNX are emerging as the invisible operating layer driving this transformation. India, as the forum demonstrated, is set to become one of its most important stages.

(This article is based on insights shared at the BlackBerry QNX TECH Forum India 2025 in Bengaluru, including presentations, discussions, and live demonstrations.)