Industry leader QNX demonstrates Ottawa’s excellence in operating system research and development by meeting increasing demand for software system integration 

Founded in Ottawa in 1980, QNX Software Systems is the industry leader in operating systems, development tools, software middleware products, and services for embedded computing. People encounter QNX-controlled systems whenever they drive, shop, watch TV, use the Internet, or even turn on a light. Millions of mission-critical systems rely on QNX technology: cars, factories, operating rooms, 9-1-1 call centres, satellite networks — even the International Space Station.

QNX won an Eclipse award for best software development tool in 2007 and was a finalist in the software category in EDN Magazine’s 2007 annual Innovation Awards. QNX also received the Ottawa Centre for Research and Innovation’s (OCRI) Technology Partnership Award in 2007 that recognizes excellence in research and innovation of organizations and individuals in Ottawa.

Why Ottawa?

As a centre of excellence for operating system research and development, Ottawa is one of a handful of places in the world where top-notch system programmers can work on advanced operating system technology. Consequently, QNX is attracting the industry’s very best talent, from Moscow to San Jose and everywhere in between.

QNX has strategic partnerships with Intel, Freescale, Texas Instruments, and Renesas, and benefits from the regions’ tremendous synergies in the areas of product development, skill transfer, and business development. QNX also recognizes The Eclipse Foundation, an Ottawa-based independent not-for-profit corporation that has established a vendor neutral and open, transparent community around Eclipse, an open source community.

For services, QNX frequently looks to other Ottawa-based companies such as Fuel Industries for viral marketing and creative support, and Vector Media for media buying. QNX is also going through a series of certifications for Evaluation Assurance Level (EAL) security classification at Electronic Warfare Associates – Canada (EWA), an Ottawa-based lab that is one of a few in North America accredited to conduct these evaluations. These certifications are for companies selling computer products to the government market (mainly for defence or intelligence use).

Business Advantage

According to the Semiconductor Industry Association, based in San Jose, Calif., 96% of all processors made today are destined for embedded devices. Over seven billion embedded processors — more than there are humans on earth — were sold in 2005.

When companies want an embedded software system that will help them avoid errors that could cost them millions of dollars and/or lives, they look to QNX. Global leaders like Cisco, Delphi, General Electric, Siemens, Bombardier, and Thales depend on QNX technology for network routers, medical instruments, vehicle telematics units, security and defense systems, industrial robotics, and other mission- or life-critical applications.

Delcan Corp., an engineering firm in Markham, Ont., uses QNX in computers deployed along highways, bridges, and tunnels to monitor and control traffic. Richard Chylinski, a software development manager with Delcan states that QNX systems never need rebooting and never fail. One customer has run QNX for more than 20 years without a reboot and 10 years of non-stop operation is common.

QNX systems keep high-speed trains from derailing on tight bends and monitor nuclear reactors in France, and are at the heart of air-traffic control systems, laser eye-surgery units, and electronic gambling machines Las Vegas, Nevada. QNX, which owns patents for a variety of embedded technologies, also controls the GMount, the world's most southerly telescope, located 500 metres from the South Pole.

Future Growth/ Plans

Though the company’s largest user base is in industrial automation, the fast-growing networking and automotive markets will soon change that. By 2015, an astonishing 35% of the value of a new car will be in its electronics. With technology products becoming more complicated and an increasing demand for integration of software systems, QNX sees its biggest potential being in the area of middleware, computer software that connects software components or applications.

Corporate contact information

QNX Software Systems 
Toll free in North America:
1 800 676-0566

www.qnx.com