BlackBerry says robotics is now QNX’s fastest-growing segment

Signals Inbox·August 25, 2026·Robotics

BlackBerry says robotics has become the fastest-growing segment for QNX, the real-time operating system better known for running inside cars. The shift matters because industrial robots, autonomous forklifts, and medical machines need the same safety-critical software foundations that QNX spent decades building for automotive systems.

Q1What was actually announced?

BlackBerry CEO John Giamatteo described robotics as one of QNX's fastest-growing businesses in reporting summarized by CNBC. The underlying platform is documented on QNX's official site, which positions its operating system for safety-critical embedded systems.

Q2How big is the signal?

BlackBerry has disclosed a QNX royalty backlog around $950 million, and the software is already embedded in hundreds of millions of vehicles. Robotics starts from a much smaller base, so fastest-growing does not mean largest. The signal is that customers are reusing automotive-grade architecture in a new machine category.

Q3Why does it matter now?

Robots need deterministic control, cybersecurity, functional safety, and long product lifecycles. Those are areas where a mature embedded operating system can matter more than the newest AI model. As robots move from labs into factories and hospitals, the boring software underneath becomes a procurement decision with high switching costs.

Q4What is the catch?

Robotics is fragmented across hardware architectures and many teams rely on Linux, ROS, or proprietary stacks. QNX must show it can coexist with modern AI frameworks and developer tooling rather than only handle low-level control. Rapid percentage growth from a small robotics revenue base can also sound larger than it is.

Q5What should we watch next?

Watch named design wins, robotics royalty backlog, developer integrations, and whether QNX becomes common in humanoids or autonomous mobile robots. If safety certification becomes a purchasing bottleneck, QNX could monetize the robotics boom without needing to build a robot itself.