Among other things…
Ford’s SYNC 3 is underpinned by the QNX operating system that was bought by Canadian smartphone maker Blackberry (then known as Research In Motion), and the Blue Oval’s focus on improving the software have resulted in hiring 400 new engineers to occupy a new Ottawa research centre.
Most of these hires come from Blackberry and will nearly double the exiting count of team members tasked with software and embedded systems, part of which involve the continued development of the SYNC platform. QNX also lays the foundation of other custom operating systems used by manufacturers, Tesla being a notable client.
This larger focus on software ties in with Ford’s big push toward including more mobility and connectivity features in their existing cars as well as their future plans for autonomous driving. TechCrunch spoke to Chuck Gray, Global Director for Electrical and Electronic Systems Engineering at Ford, who said:
“In order to have autonomy, the vehicle’s got to be connected, it’s just fundamental. The vehicle itself, whether there’s a driver or not, has to be communicating with the cloud for various reasons, so this group immediately is working on creating that connectivity spine or network upon which everything else can be built.”
On the new additions to the rapidly expanded team, Gray added: “Obviously they have deep skills, in embedded software, in mobile devices, in connectivity, and when you look at the subsets of products they work in – they work in RF, they work hardware, they work at the chip level, they work in operating systems, they have a renowned reputation for security and stability,”
To be clear on the matter, Ford's new inrush of talent is seen as more of a transfer of staff from Blackberry's QNX division as part of an ongoing partnership between both companies to further the interests of the operating system as well as its viability as a flexible embedded software platform in vehicles.
Having its own systems in place to control a custom software stack will be crucial to ensure an agile development cycle as well as a tight and cohesive user experience. Encouraging innovation through a dedicated group like this may just be what Ford needs to keeping their horse at the front of the pack as the industry speeds toward a more technologically convergent future.
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