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BlackBerry Sees Strong Pipeline Across Robotics and Automation

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Key Takeaways

  • BlackBerry says QNX's GEM segment is expanding beyond automotive into safety-critical embedded markets.
  • BB secured a royalty commitment and expanded a customer relationship through its latest SDP 8 platform.
  • BlackBerry says its strongest robotics pipeline yet supports long-term Physical AI growth opportunities.

BlackBerry Limited (BB - Free Report) continues to see growing opportunities for its QNX business across robotics and industrial automation through its General Embedded Market (GEM) strategy. The company stated that GEM remains the fastest-growing segment within QNX, expanding its long-term opportunity beyond automotive into robotics, industrial automation, medical devices and other safety-critical applications.

During first-quarter fiscal 2027, BlackBerry secured a significant royalty commitment from a leading semiconductor equipment manufacturer and expanded its relationship with Luminex through an upgrade to its latest SDP 8 platform. These wins reflect continued progress in expanding QNX adoption and deployment across embedded markets.

The company highlighted Physical AI as a key long-term growth driver. As intelligent machines become increasingly autonomous and operate around people, BlackBerry said that safety, security, reliability and real-time determinism become more important. QNX technology is deterministic and safety certified, making it suitable for systems where failure is not an option. BlackBerry noted that automotive has served as a proving ground for Physical AI, describing modern vehicles as robots on wheels and emphasizing QNX’s role in supporting advanced autonomous and safety-critical systems.

BlackBerry also stated that its experience in the automotive market positions it well for opportunities in robotics and industrial automation. The company believes the capabilities it developed for automotive applications, including real-time determinism, safety certification, security and reliability, translate well to these adjacent markets. Management identified robotics, industrial automation and medical instrumentation as the three primary GEM categories where QNX’s technology is well aligned with customer requirements.

On the last earnings call, the company stated that its pipeline across robotics and industrial automation is the strongest it has been, with encouraging opportunities developing in both markets. Management expects to report additional wins as they materialize and noted that GEM continues to be the fastest-growing segment within QNX.

Taking a Look at BB’s Competitors

CrowdStrike (CRWD - Free Report) continues to strengthen its growth pipeline through product innovation, AI expansion and broader platform adoption. The company introduced Charlotte AI AgentWorks, a no-code platform developed with AWS, NVIDIA and OpenAI, along with Agentic MDR to automate security workflows. Falcon Data Security expanded protection across endpoints, cloud, SaaS and AI environments. Management highlighted a record second-quarter pipeline and increased partner engagement, supporting demand across enterprise and public sector customers. Falcon Flex also gained momentum, adding more than 300 accounts in the first quarter and reaching more than $1.9 billion in ending ARR, reflecting stronger customer commitments and expanding platform adoption.

Palo Alto Networks (PANW - Free Report) continues to benefit from higher cybersecurity priority as enterprises deploy AI and look to consolidate vendors onto fewer platforms. Platformization is translating into larger commitments, supported by expanding next-generation security ARR and RPO, and management guidance implies continued growth in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026. Momentum in Network Security, SASE and Prisma AIRS, along with early execution on the CyberArk and Chronosphere integrations, supports the long-term revenue mix shift toward recurring software and free cash flow. For fiscal 2026, Palo Alto Networks now expects revenues in the range of $11.41 billion to $11.42 billion, suggesting year-over-year growth of 24%.

BB Price Performance, Valuation & Estimates

Shares of BlackBerry have surged 25.6% in the past month compared with the Internet-Software industry’s growth of 5.3%.

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Regarding the price/book ratio, BB is trading at 8.67, higher than the industry’s multiple of 4.71.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BB earnings for fiscal 2027 has been revised downward over the past 60 days.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

BlackBerry currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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