BlackBerry reinvented: CEO sees big opportunities AI-powered robots

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Mad Money

Published Mon, Oct 26 20266:34 PM EDT

Key Points

• BlackBerry CEO John Giamatteo sees AI-powered robots as a major growth opportunity, with robotics already among the fastest-growing businesses in its QNX software division.
• BlackBerry’s QNX royalty backlog has surpassed $1.2 billion, while its partnership with Nvidia is opening new opportunities in robotics and industrial automation.

BlackBerry CEO John Giamatteo sees artificial intelligence-powered robots as a major growth opportunity for the former smartphone king.

Once one of the world's biggest mobile phone makers, Canada-based BlackBerry has reinvented itself.

The company's QNX operating system, which provides underlying software for features ranging from braking systems to some semi-autonomous driving functions, is now embedded in more than 275 million vehicles worldwide. But the company is increasingly looking beyond the automotive industry to capitalize on the emerging market for physical AI.

"While the products we sell today can't be held in the palm of your hand, they're pervasive around you," Giamatteo told CNBC's Jim Cramer on Monday. "275 million cars, robots, governments, medical instrumentation, supply chain. That's the new BlackBerry, and that's what's driving all of our growth."

Robotics has already emerged as one of the fastest-growing businesses within QNX, according to Giamatteo. Unlike generative AI, which produces text and images, physical AI allows robots and other machines to interact with the real world. BlackBerry sees an opportunity to provide the underlying software that helps those machines operate safely and reliably, building on its experience in the automotive industry.