CNBC's "The Tech Download" focuses on BlackBerry: after losing the smartphone war, the company is betting on automotive and robotics software. CEO John Giamatteo explains that the company has restructured around the real-time operating system QNX for software-defined vehicles and is focusing on physical artificial intelligence.

He describes QNX as "the operating system for cars." Of the approximately 90 million vehicles produced globally each year, about 25% use advanced software such as digital cockpits and advanced driver assistance systems. Company data indicates that QNX has been embedded in over 275 million vehicles. There are backlogged orders exceeding $950 million, most of which are still in the automotive sector, with physical artificial intelligence being the fastest-growing segment.

He assesses humanoid robots as being "probably still in the first game." Applications also include automated mobile robots for warehousing, surgical systems, and industrial automation. The selling point of QNX is determinism and safety certification, rather than probabilistic large models; he expressed caution about how much generative artificial intelligence to incorporate into product code, as failure is unacceptable.

The company has been profitable for several consecutive quarters, a rarity since the peak of its mobile phone era. After a quarterly report exceeded expectations in 2026, the stock price surged about 23% in one day. Chip collaborations include NVIDIA and AMD; in China, there are partnerships with autonomous driving companies like WeRide. The second growth point also includes general embedded systems and Alloy Core, with management stating they expect to secure their first design import in the current fiscal year.

Buyers are automotive and robotics manufacturers requiring functional safety certification, while sellers are software companies transitioning real-time kernels from the mobile era to wheels and joints. Funding is flowing from automotive pre-authorization to embedded licensing, and then testing in medical and warehousing sectors. Beneficiaries are certified kernels that are difficult to replace with open-source stacks; those under pressure are traders still valuing based on mobile memory. This is a narrative shift, not a return to consumer electronics.

Source: Public Information