Baidu Inc. and BlackBerry Ltd. said today they’re joining forces with a new deal that will see the two companies collaborate on connected and autonomous vehicle technology.

Under the pact, BlackBerry will provide its QNX self-driving car operating system to be used by Baidu’s Apollo autonomous driving platform. In return, BlackBerry will integrate Baidu’s CarLife smartphone software into its BlackBerry QNX Car Infotainment platform.

Although it’s best-known for its failed smartphone arm, BlackBerry has long maintained the QNX automotive division, which for a number of years has offered a secure operating system for in-car entertainment. The division diversified into self-driving technology with the opening of an autonomous vehicle driving research center in December 2016 and 13 months months later appears to be delivering the goods.

BlackBerry’s shares shot up nearly 13 percent today on the news, to $13.53 a share.

Baidu is not new to autonomous vehicle development either, having signed several deals with Nvidia Corp. in the past as well as dedicating $1.5 billion to an autonomous vehicle fund in September. What is interesting is that Baidu is more than happy to facilitate an open autonomous vehicle platform that incorporates. In the deal with BlackBerry, third-party software and hardware can bring products to market.

As the companies note in their press release, Apollo has attracted more than 70 partners worldwide, including equipment manufacturers, top automakers, developer platforms and tech startups. That means that although Baidu may not be the first company that comes to mind when it comes to self-driving cars, it may well be set to become a leader in the near future.

“We aim to provide automakers with a clear and fast path to fully autonomous vehicle production, with safety and security as top priorities,” Baidu General Manager of Intelligent Driving Li Zhenyu said in a statement. “By integrating the BlackBerry QNX OS with the Apollo platform, we will enable carmakers to leap from prototype to production systems.”

Photo: Baidu