Today, on December 1, 2020, Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com, Inc. company (NASDAQ:AMZN), and BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB, TSX: BB), a worldwide leader in intelligent security software, and services, announced a multi-year, global agreement for development, and marketing BlackBerry’s Intelligent Vehicles Data Platform, IVY. Being scalable, cloud-connected software platform, BlackBerry IVY will allow automakers for providing a consistent, and secure way for reading vehicle sensor data, normalizing it, and creating actionable insights from that data both locally in the vehicle, and in the cloud. Automakers can use this information for creating responsive in-vehicle services for driver and passenger experiences enhancement.

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 unique set of proprietary hardware, and software components. These components, which include an increasing variety of vehicle sensors, can produce data in unique, and specialized formats. The highly specific skills required for interacting with this data, as well as the challenges of accessing it from within contained vehicle subsystems, limit developers’ abilities for innovation in quick succession, and bringing new solutions to the market. BlackBerry IVY will be solving for these challenges, by application of machine learning, to that data for generation of predictive insights, and inferences, making it possible for automakers to offer in-vehicle experiences, that are highly personalized, and able to take action-based on those insights.

BlackBerry IVY will be supporting multiple vehicle operating systems, and multi-cloud deployments in order to ensure compatibility across vehicle models, and brands. It will be building upon Blackberry’s QNX capabilities for surfacing, and normalizing data from automobiles, and AWS’s broad portfolio of services. It includes capabilities for IoT, and machine learning. BlackBerry IVY will operate inside a vehicle’s embedded system, but will be managed, and configured remotely from the cloud platform. As a result, automakers will gain greater visibility to vehicle data, control over who can access those, and edge computing capabilities for optimization on how quickly, and efficiently the data will process. With BlackBerry IVY’s integrate capabilities, automakers will be able to deliver new features, functionality, and performance for customers over a lifetime of their cloud-connected vehicles, as well as new revenue streams, and business models built on vehicle data.

For example, BlackBerry IVY could leverage vehicle data for recognition of driver behavior, and hazardous conditions like icy roads, or heavy traffic, and then recommend that the driver enable relevant vehicle safety features, like traction control, lane-keeping assist, or adaptive cruise control.

IVY can then provide feedback to automakers on how and when those safety features are used, granting them to make targeted investments for improvement of vehicle performance. In addition, drivers of electric vehicles could select to share their car’s battery information to third-party charging networks, and proactively reserve a charging connector, and tailor charging time according to the driver’s current location and travel plans.

BlackBerry IVY can also provide insights to parents of teenage drivers who might 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. Parents of infants can also receive a reminder for child safety lock, when the vehicle detects a child in the rear seat.

BlackBerry IVY will enable automakers for compression of the timeline for building, deployment, and monetizing new in-vehicle applications, and connected services in multiple vehicle brands, and models. Using BlackBerry IVY, automakers will be able to leverage different types of data as common building blocks for new services, which could work in a range of models. Automakers will then be able to use the platform’s application programming interfaces (APIs) for sharing data, and outputs with their software development teams. They can give the ability to innovate, in line of protecting customer privacy, security.

Additionally, BlackBerry IVY will be making it easier for automakers to collaborate with a wider pool of developers for accelerating creation of new offerings, which deliver improved vehicle performance, reduces maintenance and repair cost, and adds convenience. Through analysis of real-time performance data, automakers can recognize the first signs of potentially faulty parts, deploy code for identification of affected vehicles, and notify impacted drivers as well as perform targeted recalls. Automakers will be able to remotely deploy and update the software from the platform’s Cloud Console, which is a web interface managing BlackBerry IVY, for continuous improvement of the functionality of the system.

John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO, BlackBerry, said, “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. 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.”

Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services, Inc., said, “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. 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.”