CES 2025: QNX claims industry-first automotive digital cockpit

Having hinted at the show a year ago that it was about to hit the accelerator in the industry with a range of next-generation automotive and IoT systems, QNX has unveiled QNX Cabin, a framework that allows motor industry OEMs to virtualise the development of sophisticated digital cockpits in the cloud.

Putting the launch into context, the BlackBerry division said digital cockpits are the cornerstone for in-car experiences in Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs), encompassing a multitude of functionalities such as the infotainment system, climate and comfort control, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and the digital instrument cluster.

However, it added that a downside to this range of options was that integrating disparate complex software systems into one cohesive hub has added to the increasing demand from end users to deliver new features and functionalities over the lifecycle of the vehicle, resulting in pressure on OEMs. Moreover, it added that existing solutions create silos during development, with no real ability to collaborate or scale.

As a solution QNX Cabin is designed to simplify the building of high performance, software-defined digital cockpits for cutting edge in-vehicle experiences. Adopting a cloud-first approach is meant to allow teams to collaborate across different locations, speeding up development workflows, streamlining processes and improving overall time-to-market.

In addition, QNX Cabin is attributed with solving the problem of developing in mixed criticality environments, blending safety-critical features such as ADAS running on the safety certified QNX Operating System (OS) with consumer applications delivered via guest operating systems including Android Automotive and Linux. 

QNX Cabin also uses the virtualisation and the industry standardised VirtIO interface to deliver these environments, while, said the company, reducing dependencies on hardware and providing greater scalability. This avoids redundant development cycles after OS updates while maintaining a safe and secure development environment, regardless of whether the development takes place on a system on chip (SoC) test bench or in the cloud.

This should allow OEMs to take control of their own software, spending more time delivering a continuous stream of innovations and less time struggling with software integration and hardware-specific interfaces, according to the company. The platform’s architecture is said to have been created for modular integration, enabling automakers to easily leverage software from an ecosystem of partners and vendors, customising and scaling features according to their needs.

“Designing, developing and maintaining a digital cockpit is challenging, especially for globally deployed engineering organisations that rely on cloud-based development but still need safety, security and reliability,” said John Wall, chief operating officer and head of product, engineering and services at QNX.

“We are committed to reducing developer friction, accelerating time to market and enabling the creation of next-generation software defined automotive experiences. QNX has built a legacy of trust and expertise across industries, including over two decades in automotive software. Today, we combine this foundation with a cloud-first embedded development approach to meet the evolving needs of our customers.”

QNX Cabin ecosystem partner Seeing Machines is the first company to integrate its Driver Monitoring System (DMS) technology with QNX Cabin. Its algorithms are used to enable OEMs to monitor for driver drowsiness and distraction, mitigating risks associated with unsafe driving and ensuring compliance with emerging global safety regulations.