Visteon Corporation and BlackBerry Limited announced an expansion of their collaborative work to accelerate the deployment of digital cockpit solutions for automakers and suppliers around the world.
As part of the multi-year agreement, Visteon will use a range of BlackBerry QNX software and services to build next generation digital consolidated cockpits, including infotainment systems, digital instrument clusters, and telematics systems for multiple auto manufacturers.
The strategic agreement is the most recent milestone in the collaboration between the two companies. Past achievements include the October 2017 announcement which saw Visteon select BlackBerry’s safety-certified QNX Platform for Instrument Clusters 1.0 software for a digital instrument cluster project the company won with a major Chinese OEM.
For future digital cockpit projects, BlackBerry will provide Visteon with QNX software including its QNX Software Development Platform, QNX OS for Safety, QNX Hypervisor, QNX acoustics middleware, QNX Black Channel Communications Technology, BlackBerry Jarvis, as well as professional engineering services for system-level integration, performance optimization, and solution validation.
“As an automotive electronics technology leader, Visteon’s hardware and software solutions support the industry trends of intelligent digital cockpits and the connected car,” said Bob Vallance, Visteon senior vice president, customer business groups and marketing. “Our collaboration with BlackBerry QNX reflects our shared passion for innovation that helps our automotive customers stay ahead of the curve with future-proof cybersecurity solutions.”
For example, Visteon’s SmartCore™ domain controllers help automakers accelerate the digital transformation of their cockpits with digital instrument clusters, Android-based infotainment, secure over-the-air updates and connected applications to create a rich, premium in-vehicle experience. With the increasing industry acceptance of Android-based operating systems globally, Visteon is experiencing an acceleration in the adoption of its SmartCore™ technology by automakers in all regions. Today, the company has SmartCore™ business with ten automotive customers and expects the technology to be a key growth driver in the coming years.
“We are thrilled to build on and expand our relationship with Visteon as part of our commitment to provide auto manufacturers with innovative safety-certified, secure and reliable solutions,” said John Wall, SVP and Co-Head, BlackBerry Technology Solutions. “If software is now the driving force of the automotive industry, delivering compelling digital experience to users has quickly become the new battleground where OEMs can differentiate themselves from one another. With trusted partners like Visteon, together we can help manufacturers stay on the cutting edge of an industry that’s undergoing a profound transformation.”