BlackBerry Ltd. Chief Executive Officer John Giamatteo had a direct answer when asked about one of the biggest challenges to software providers: Artificial intelligence isn’t ready to displace his safety-certified products.
The company’s QNX operating system, which currently powers 275 million cars globally, has expanded beyond the automotive business into industrial automation, robotics and medical devices, Giamatteo said Friday in a Bloomberg Television interview. QNX is now the fastest-growing part of BlackBerry, he said.
“A car manufacturer is not going to put safety critical software technology into the car” without the highest certification standards, he said. “Very few, if any” AI systems meet those requirements, he said, while the software and services-only business model at Waterloo, Ontario-based BlackBerry avoids the hardware costs affecting chip-dependent competitors.
BlackBerry, the onetime smartphone darling now focused on software, is on a tear after boosting its full-year revenue forecast on Thursday. It also reported first-quarter results that beat expectations. The shares jumped for a second day Friday, pushing their weekly advance to more than 30% — the biggest such jump since December 2024.
Automotive software makers are being asked to do more as manufacturers rely ever more heavily on digital systems in cars, Giamatteo said, opening up growth opportunities even as global vehicle sales decline. Nvidia Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. are developing a holistic car approach standardized on QNX, Giamatteo said, making the two chip giants some of BlackBerry’s “biggest partners right now,” he said.
BlackBerry’s customer diversification helps the company navigate the volatility in the auto industry, Giamatteo said.
“Basically every car manufacturer, with the exception of Tesla, uses our operating system around the world,” he said. “So if one market is up and another market is down, we tend to be able to ride that wave better than most.”
Giamatteo said BlackBerry’s improved balance sheet now provides resources for acquisitions to extend market leadership, and the company is “open to it.” Reuters
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