QNX Hypervisor 8.0 for Safety Powers the Industry Shift Toward Physical AI through Deterministic, Safety-Certified Virtualization

Safety-certified release accelerates developer workflows with predictable timing, fault-tolerant isolation and faster certification

NUREMBERG, DE / ACCESS Newswire / March 10, 2026 / QNX, a division of BlackBerry Limited (NYSE:BB)(TSX:BB) today announced the General Availability (GA) of the QNX^® Hypervisor 8.0 for Safety, the company's next‑generation, safety‑certified embedded virtualization platform designed for safety‑critical systems. Built on the QNX^® Software Development Platform (SDP) 8.0 and engineered to meet stringent functional safety requirements including ISO 26262 ASIL D, IEC 61508 SIL 4, and IEC 62304 Class C, the hypervisor extends the proven isolation guarantees of the real-time microkernel in QNX^® OS for Safety, through a safety-certified virtual machine manager so that faults of compromised software inside any guest cannot affect the underlying OS or other critical operations.

As Physical AI drives a new generation of autonomous and intelligent software-defined systems across automotive, robotics, medical and industrial markets, the need for strict functional safety guarantees has become central to how these systems are designed. Physical AI depends on real-time determinism that must operate predictably in real-world scenarios, making safety-certified hypervisors essential as they consolidate functions, isolate critical workloads and contain faults without affecting system performance. QNX Hypervisor 8.0 for Safety is a foundational virtualization layer for development teams who need proven real-time responsiveness in complex mixed-criticality designs.

Multiple QNX customers have already committed to deploying the QNX Hypervisor 8.0 for Safety including a leading Chinese automaker and a leading European healthcare company that provides clinical products and treatment services used in hospitals and outpatient settings worldwide. This customer is leveraging the QNX Hypervisor for Safety to modernize medical device architectures, enable predictable system behavior, and accelerate regulatory‑compliant development.

"As organizations accelerate their move toward software‑defined and Physical AI architectures, they cannot compromise on safety, predictability, or development speed," said Grant Courville, SVP of Products and Strategy at QNX. "QNX Hypervisor 8.0 for Safety delivers the foundation they need to meet these demands, and the commitments we are seeing from leading automotive and medical customers reflect the real‑world value of this platform."

QNX Hypervisor 8.0 for Safety combines the direct hardware access of a Type 1 hypervisor with the flexibility developers expect from a Type 2 approach, delivering a unified and efficient virtualization environment.

It builds on the QNX real-time microkernel to deliver deterministic behavior, strong isolation, and predictable interrupt handling, helping manufacturers consolidate mixed criticality workloads with confidence.

The platform supports multiple guest operating systems including QNX, Linux, and Android, allowing developers to integrate diverse software ecosystems on a single hardware architecture.

ENDS

About BlackBerry

BlackBerry (NYSE:BB)(TSX:BB) provides enterprises and governments the intelligent software and services that power the world around us. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company's high-performance foundational software enables major automakers and industrial giants alike to unlock transformative applications, drive new revenue streams and launch innovative business models, all without sacrificing safety, security, and reliability. With a deep heritage in Secure Communications, BlackBerry delivers operational resiliency with a comprehensive, highly secure, and extensively certified portfolio for mobile fortification, mission-critical communications, and critical events management.

About QNX

QNX, a division of BlackBerry Limited (NYSE:BB)(TSX:BB), enhances the human experience and amplifies technology-driven industries, providing a trusted foundation for software-defined businesses to thrive. The business leads the way in delivering safe and secure operating systems, hypervisors, middleware, solutions, and development tools, along with support and services delivered by trusted embedded software experts. QNX^® technology has been deployed in the world's most critical embedded systems, including more than 275 million vehicles on the road today. QNX^® software is trusted across industries including automotive, medical devices, industrial controls, robotics, commercial vehicles, rail, and aerospace and defense. Founded in 1980, QNX is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. Learn more at qnx.com.

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SOURCE: QNX