Skip to content
Search AI Powered
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

newsworthy

BlackBerry develops software for self-driving cars

QNX division will test autonomous vehicles in Ontario.

DC Velocity Staff
By DC Velocity StaffDec 20, 2016
DC Velocity Staff
See Full Bio

Smartphone pioneer BlackBerry Ltd. is continuing to move beyond its foundation as a handheld computing vendor by opening a center that develops software for connected and self-driving vehicles.

The Ottawa, Ont.-based company will open an Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Centre (AVIC), to be housed within BlackBerry's existing QNX facility. QNX Software Systems Ltd. is a subsidiary of BlackBerry that develops high-performance software applications for markets such as telecommunications, automotive, medical instrumentation, automation, and security.

BlackBerry plans to hire software engineers to work on ongoing and emerging engineering projects for connected and autonomous cars, and will test autonomous vehicles on Ontario roads as part of a pilot program. One of the AVIC division's first projects will be supporting this pilot as well as a plan to build an autonomous concept vehicle by working with partners such as the University of Waterloo, PolySync, and Renesas Electronics Corp.

The announcement is BlackBerry's second recent investment in transportation technology, after the company rolled out an asset-tracking system for freight in September. Its "BlackBerry Radar" tags deliver near real-time data on the location and condition of truck trailers and containers.

BlackBerry QNX has been supplying embedded software to the automotive industry for over 10 years and can be found in more than 60 million vehicles today, the company says. Millions of telematics-equipped cars on the road are using BlackBerry's Certicom security technology for communication authentication and authorization.

Launching the AVIC initiative will help the QNX division add platforms such as ADAS (advanced driver assist systems), CVAV (connected vehicle and autonomous vehicle) systems, and secure "over-the-air software update" services to its existing products for infotainment, acoustics, telematics, and digital instrument clusters, BlackBerry said.

"Autonomous vehicles require software that is extremely sophisticated and highly secure," John Chen, BlackBerry's executive chairman and CEO, said in a release. "Our innovation track record in mobile security and our demonstrated leadership in automotive software make us ideally suited to dominate the market for embedded intelligence in the cars of the future."

The Latest

Deutsche Bahn to sell DB Schenker to DSV
Featured

Deutsche Bahn to sell DB Schenker to DSV

CEOs: Our supply chains have a resiliency problem
Article

CEOs: Our supply chains have a resiliency problem

More Stories

Image of earth made of sculpted paper, surrounded by trees and green

Creating a sustainability roadmap for the apparel industry: interview with Michael Sadowski

Michael Sadowski
Michael Sadowski

Most of the apparel sold in North America is manufactured in Asia, meaning the finished goods travel long distances to reach end markets, with all the associated greenhouse gas emissions. On top of that, apparel manufacturing itself requires a significant amount of energy, water, and raw materials like cotton. Overall, the production of apparel is responsible for about 2% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, according to a report titled

Taking Stock of Progress Against the Roadmap to Net Zeroby the Apparel Impact Institute. Founded in 2017, the Apparel Impact Institute is an organization dedicated to identifying, funding, and then scaling solutions aimed at reducing the carbon emissions and other environmental impacts of the apparel and textile industries.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

seegrid CR1_Renders_1-2_11zon.png
Article

Seegrid lands $50 million backing for autonomous lift trucks

xeneta air-freight.jpeg

Air cargo carriers enjoy 24% rise in average spot rates

The global air cargo market’s hot summer of double-digit demand growth continued in August with average spot rates showing their largest year-on-year jump with a 24% increase, according to the latest weekly analysis by Xeneta.

Xeneta cited two reasons to explain the increase. First, Global average air cargo spot rates reached $2.68 per kg in August due to continuing supply and demand imbalance. That came as August's global cargo supply grew at its slowest ratio in 2024 to-date at 2% year-on-year, while global cargo demand continued its double-digit growth, rising +11%.

Keep ReadingShow less
littler Screenshot 2024-09-04 at 2.59.02 PM.png

Congressional gridlock and election outcomes complicate search for labor

Worker shortages remain a persistent challenge for U.S. employers, even as labor force participation for prime-age workers continues to increase, according to an industry report from labor law firm Littler Mendelson P.C.

The report cites data showing that there are approximately 1.7 million workers missing from the post-pandemic workforce and that 38% of small firms are unable to fill open positions. At the same time, the “skills gap” in the workforce is accelerating as automation and AI create significant shifts in how work is performed.

Keep ReadingShow less
stax PR_13August2024-NEW.jpg

Toyota picks vendor to control smokestack emissions from its ro-ro ships

Stax Engineering, the venture-backed startup that provides smokestack emissions reduction services for maritime ships, will service all vessels from Toyota Motor North America Inc. visiting the Toyota Berth at the Port of Long Beach, according to a new five-year deal announced today.

Beginning in 2025 to coincide with new California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards, STAX will become the first and only emissions control provider to service roll-on/roll-off (ro-ros) vessels in the state of California, the company said.

Keep ReadingShow less
trucker premium_photo-1670650045209-54756fb80f7f.jpeg

ATA survey: Truckload drivers earn median salary of $76,420

Truckload drivers in the U.S. earned a median annual amount of $76,420 in 2023, posting an increase of 10% over the last survey, done two years ago, according to an industry survey from the fleet owners’ trade group American Trucking Associations (ATA).

That result showed that driver wages across the industry continue to increase post-pandemic, despite a challenging freight market for motor carriers. The data comes from ATA’s “Driver Compensation Study,” which asked 120 fleets, more than 150,000 employee drivers, and 14,000 independent contractors about their wage and benefit information.

Keep ReadingShow less
Copyright ©2024.