BlackBerry and AWS are developing a standardized vehicle data platform

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and BlackBerry have signed a multi-year deal to develop and market BlackBerry IVY, a scalable, cloud-connected intelligent vehicle data platform. The platform aims to give automakers a standardized and secure way to read and analyze vehicle sensor data.

The IVY platform will support multiple automobile operating systems and multi-cloud deployments. It’s built on BlackBerry's QNX auto data capabilities and AWS' portfolio, including IoT and machine learning capabilities.

Modern cars and trucks have an increasing variety of vehicle sensors that produce data in unique and specialized formats. AWS and BlackBerry added that the highly specific skills required to interact with this data and the challenges of accessing it from within contained vehicle subsystems, limit developers’ abilities to innovate quickly and bring new solutions to market.

The firms claim BlackBerry IVY will solve these challenges by applying machine learning to that data to generate 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 run inside a vehicle’s embedded systems but will be managed and configured remotely from the cloud. The firms said that automakers will, as a result, gain greater visibility into vehicle data, control over who can access it, and edge computing capabilities to optimize how quickly and efficiently the data is processed.

Automakers will also be able to deliver new features, functionality, and performance to customers over the lifetime of their cloud-connected vehicles. They’ll also unlock new revenue streams and business models built on vehicle data.

The platform is touted as a way for automakers to collaborate with a broader pool of developers to accelerate the creation of new offerings that deliver improved vehicle performance, reduced maintenance and repair costs, and added convenience.

By analyzing real-time performance data, automakers could recognize faulty parts, deploy code to identify affected vehicles, notify impacted drivers, and perform targeted recalls. Automakers will be able to remotely deploy and update the software from the platform’s Cloud Console - a web interface for managing BlackBerry IVY - to continuously improve the system’s functionality.

"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," said Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services.

"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."