AWS and BlackBerry QNX join forces to accelerate auto innovation with BlackBerry IVY, a new intelligent vehicle data platform

Today, Amazon Web Services (AWS), an Amazon.com company, announced a multi-year, global agreement with BlackBerry QNX, a worldwide leader in intelligent security software and services. Together they developed an Intelligent Vehicle Data Platform named BlackBerry IVY. BlackBerry IVY is a scalable, cloud-connected software platform that allows automakers to provide a consistent and secure way to read vehicle sensor data, normalize it, and create actionable insights from that data both locally in the vehicle and in the cloud. Automakers can use this information to create responsive in-vehicle services that enhance driver and passenger experiences as well as provide valuable product insights back to the manufacturer.

The purpose of BlackBerry IVY is to help automakers and automotive suppliers create personalized driver and passenger experiences and improve operations of cloud-connected vehicles. BlackBerry IVY will support more rapid development of new customer experiences and unlock new revenue streams and business models. It accomplishes this while reducing costs by moving processing to the edge and reducing raw data transmission. It also improves overall operations with enhanced data visibility and access.

BlackBerry IVY addresses a critical data access, collection, and management problem in the automotive industry. Modern cars and trucks are built with thousands of parts from many different suppliers, with each vehicle model comprising a unique set of proprietary hardware and software components. These components, which include an increasing variety of vehicle sensors, produce data in unique and specialized formats. The highly specific skills required to interact with this data, as well as the challenges of accessing it from within contained vehicle subsystems, limit developers’ abilities to innovate quickly and bring new solutions to market.

With BlackBerry IVY a broader range of developer talent from outside the auto industry have the opportunity to contribute new, in-vehicle features and services. Developers can use BlackBerry IVY to build ML-powered capabilities and contextually aware, in-car experiences without requiring specialized automotive skills. There is no need to worry about special automotive programming languages, hardware variations, or proprietary sensor data formats. Developers can build their application with in-car data and machine learning, and achieve scale by deploying it across multiple vehicle brands, makes, and models.

Automakers will be able to remotely deploy and update machine learning models in vehicles from an AWS Management Console, as well as configure local data access for software and applications to protect customer privacy and security. Because BlackBerry IVY runs inside a vehicle’s embedded systems but is managed and configured from the cloud, it gives automakers the ability to deliver new features, functionality, and experiences to customers over the vehicle’s lifetime.

For instance, BlackBerry IVY could leverage vehicle data to recognize driver behavior and hazardous conditions such as icy roads or heavy traffic and then recommend that a driver enable relevant vehicle safety features such as traction control, lane-keeping assist, or adaptive cruise control. IVY could then provide automakers with feedback on how and when those safety features are used, allowing them to make targeted investments to improve vehicle performance. Additionally, drivers of electric vehicles can choose to share their car’s battery information with third-party charging networks to proactively reserve a charging connector and tailor charging time according to the driver’s current location and travel plans. BlackBerry IVY could also provide insights to parents of teenage drivers who may choose to receive customized notifications based on insights from vehicle sensors when the number of passengers in the vehicle changes, when the driver appears to be texting, distracted, or not observing speed limits, or when the vehicle occupancy level rises above the parents’ desired safety threshold. Similarly, parents of infants can receive a reminder to engage the child safety lock when the vehicle detects a child in the rear seat.

Strategic alliance

“Data and connectivity are opening new avenues for innovation in the automotive industry, and BlackBerry and AWS share a common vision to provide automakers and developers with better insights so that they can deliver new services to consumers,” said John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO, BlackBerry. “This software platform promises to bring an era of invention to the in-vehicle experience and help create new applications, services, and opportunities without compromising safety, security, or customer privacy. We are pleased to expand our relationship with AWS to execute this vision and deliver BlackBerry IVY.”

“AWS and BlackBerry are making it possible for any automaker to continuously reinvent the customer experience and transform vehicles from fixed pieces of technology into systems that can grow and adapt with a user’s needs and preferences,” said Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services, Inc. “Through this joint effort with BlackBerry, we will provide automakers with the insights, capabilities, agility, and speed they need to thrive in an increasingly connected world. As automakers seek to race ahead in their digital transformations, BlackBerry IVY empowers them to build their brands and set the standard for connected vehicle services across the automotive industry.”

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To learn more about BlackBerry IVY and general availability, please visit https://blackberry.qnx.com/en/aws