Valeo and QNX Unveil Smart ADAS Camera Platform in China
SHANGHAI, China, November 6, 2026 — BlackBerry QNX and Valeo have announced a strategic collaboration to integrate QNX® OS for Safety into Valeo’s next-generation front-view smart camera platform. The announcement was made at the ninth China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai.
The new platform combines QNX’s safety-certified operating system technology with Valeo’s automotive camera hardware and complete Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) software stack. It has already secured project nominations from multiple automakers in China and is expected to enter production later in 2026.
The collaboration extends a long-standing relationship between the two companies. It also reflects a broader shift in automotive development: front-facing cameras and their supporting software are becoming increasingly sophisticated, while automakers need dependable computing platforms that can be deployed across multiple vehicle programs.
By combining QNX’s safety-oriented software foundation with Valeo’s experience in camera systems and ADAS integration, the companies aim to give manufacturers a production-oriented platform without requiring them to build every layer of the system independently.
🚗 A Production-Oriented Foundation for Next-Generation ADAS #
As vehicles move toward software-defined architectures, automakers are under pressure to deliver more advanced driver-assistance features while controlling development costs, system complexity, and time-to-market.
Front-view smart cameras are an important part of this transition. They process visual information from the road ahead and provide data for functions that include detecting vehicles, pedestrians, lane markings, and traffic signs.
These workloads require more than raw processing performance. A production automotive platform must also provide predictable execution, reliable communication between software components, and a safety architecture that can be validated against the requirements of the vehicle program.
Valeo’s new platform addresses these requirements by combining several technology layers:
- Camera hardware: Valeo contributes its automotive camera-system expertise and hardware integration.
- ADAS software: Valeo supplies its broader ADAS software stack, including the software required to process and interpret camera data.
- Compute platform: The system uses a system-on-chip (SoC) platform to support camera-processing and ADAS workloads.
- Operating system: QNX OS for Safety provides the safety-oriented software foundation for the platform.
- Vehicle integration: The combined solution is designed to be adapted across different vehicle programs and automaker requirements.
The value of this integration is not simply the addition of an operating system to a camera module. It is the availability of a more complete platform in which hardware, operating-system services, and ADAS software are developed and integrated with production deployment in mind.
Why Functional Safety Matters in Camera-Based ADAS #
A smart camera may appear to be a relatively self-contained automotive component, but it participates in a larger safety-related system.
Its software must process incoming image data, run perception algorithms, manage timing constraints, and communicate relevant information to other vehicle systems. Delayed, corrupted, or unavailable data can affect the behavior of downstream driver-assistance functions.
This makes predictable system behavior particularly important.
QNX OS for Safety is designed for environments where software reliability, deterministic operation, and functional-safety requirements are central engineering concerns. Its role is to provide a dependable software foundation on which system integrators can build and validate safety-related applications.
It is worth distinguishing operating-system certification from vehicle-level safety approval. Using safety-certified foundational software does not automatically certify the complete camera system or every ADAS function. The final safety case still depends on the hardware, application software, system architecture, integration process, and validation performed for each vehicle program.
For automakers, starting with an established safety-oriented operating system can reduce the amount of foundational software work required, but application-level engineering and vehicle qualification remain essential.
Balancing AI Processing with Deterministic Execution #
Modern ADAS platforms increasingly combine computationally demanding perception workloads with software that must operate within predictable timing limits.
AI-based image processing can identify objects and interpret complex road scenes, but the surrounding system must also handle scheduling, communication, resource management, and fault isolation.
These requirements create an architectural challenge: high-performance processing and safety-related software need to coexist without allowing one workload to interfere unpredictably with another.
A suitable real-time operating-system foundation helps address this challenge through controlled execution and software isolation mechanisms. Combined with Valeo’s ADAS stack, QNX OS for Safety gives the platform a foundation for integrating demanding perception workloads into a production-oriented automotive system.
QNX’s other recent automotive collaborations illustrate the same direction of development. For additional context, see QNX and Ouye Adapt SDP 8.0 for Longquan 560 ADAS SoCs, which covers another QNX-based ADAS computing initiative in China.
🏭 Multiple Automaker Nominations Move the Platform Toward Production #
One of the most significant details in the announcement is that the platform has already secured project nominations from multiple automakers in China.
In automotive supply-chain terminology, a design win or project nomination generally means that an automaker has selected a supplier’s technology for a particular vehicle program or application. It is an important commercial milestone because it moves a platform beyond general technology development and into customer-specific production planning.
However, a nomination should not be confused with completed mass production. Vehicle programs still need to pass through integration, testing, qualification, manufacturing preparation, and other launch activities.
The announcement does not identify the participating automakers or disclose individual program volumes. It does state that the platform is production-ready and expected to enter production later in 2026.
That combination of existing nominations and an anticipated production timeline suggests that the collaboration has progressed beyond an early technology demonstration.
A Reusable Platform Across Vehicle Programs #
Automakers rarely have identical requirements for their ADAS systems. Vehicle segments, hardware configurations, regional regulations, sensor arrangements, and feature roadmaps can all differ.
A platform that can be adapted across several vehicle programs offers potential advantages over developing a completely separate camera architecture for every model.
For automakers, the approach can help:
- Reduce duplicated foundational software and integration work.
- Reuse validated platform components across vehicle programs.
- Adapt system configurations to different hardware and application requirements.
- Simplify cooperation between hardware, operating-system, and ADAS software teams.
- Shorten development cycles for future camera-based safety features.
These benefits depend on how much of the platform can be reused without compromising the requirements of individual vehicle programs. Hardware changes, software updates, and safety-related modifications still require appropriate verification and validation.
The broader QNX automotive ecosystem is moving in a similar direction. Another example is QNX and neueHCT’s global ADAS platform design win, which examines the use of QNX OS for Safety in a front-view smart-camera solution targeting multiple vehicle markets.
🤝 A Long-Standing QNX and Valeo Partnership Enters a New Phase #
QNX and Valeo have worked together for many years, with QNX technology supporting Valeo solutions across numerous vehicle programs worldwide.
The new smart-camera platform extends that relationship into another important ADAS application area. Instead of treating the operating system, camera hardware, and perception software as entirely separate development efforts, the companies are bringing their respective capabilities together in a more integrated offering.
William Dong, Chief Representative of Greater China at QNX, said the collaboration reflects automakers’ need to balance safety, performance, and cost efficiency without introducing unnecessary development complexity.
He also highlighted the importance of the trust that automotive suppliers place in QNX’s safety-certified foundational software. By combining that foundation with Valeo’s ADAS capabilities, the companies aim to provide automakers with a practical route for bringing next-generation camera features into production.
Zhou Song, President of Valeo China, emphasized that different automakers follow different development strategies for ADAS. A flexible platform allows customers to adapt camera-system configurations to the needs of individual vehicle programs.
The partnership is intended to support that flexibility while helping automakers introduce more advanced driver-assistance capabilities.
🌐 Canadian Technology Supporting Global Automotive Development #
QNX originated in Canada and operates globally as a provider of foundational software for automotive and other mission-critical systems.
Its automotive technology is used by major OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, including BMW, Bosch, Geely, Honda, Leapmotor, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Volvo.
QNX software supports a range of vehicle applications, including:
- Digital cockpits and in-vehicle infotainment.
- Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.
- Automotive domain controllers.
- Centralized and high-performance computing platforms.
- Software-defined vehicle architectures.
As vehicle electronics become more centralized, operating systems and software platforms must support increasingly complex workloads while maintaining reliability, security, and safety requirements.
The Canadian government also highlighted the economic significance of QNX’s automotive business during the announcement. Maninder Sidhu, Canada’s Minister of International Trade, noted that QNX software developed in Canada is already powering more than 275 million vehicles globally.
He described the Valeo collaboration as an opportunity for both companies to expand their presence in China and demonstrate the international competitiveness of Canadian technology.
The announcement at CIIE therefore carries significance beyond the launch of a single camera platform. It demonstrates how established software suppliers and automotive technology companies are working together to develop systems for the rapidly evolving Chinese and global automotive markets.
🔍 What This Collaboration Means for Automotive Software #
The Valeo-QNX platform is a useful example of how modern automotive products are assembled from specialized technology layers.
The camera hardware captures the environment. The ADAS software processes visual information and implements driver-assistance functions. The SoC supplies the required computing resources, while the operating system provides the execution environment and software foundation needed to integrate these components.
Each layer has a different engineering responsibility, but the complete system must operate as a coordinated product.
For automakers, buying or adopting a more integrated platform can reduce the burden of independently coordinating every foundational component. It can also provide a clearer path toward software reuse across vehicle programs.
There are still important details that have not been disclosed. The announcement does not specify the camera’s image-sensor configuration, SoC model, processing performance, supported ADAS feature set, or the identity of the automakers that nominated the platform. It also does not publish detailed certification levels or production-volume forecasts.
Those details will matter when evaluating the platform’s capabilities and its eventual deployment at scale.
For now, the combination of multiple project nominations, an established supplier relationship, and an expected production launch later in 2026 makes this a meaningful development for QNX’s automotive business and Valeo’s ADAS portfolio.
About Valeo Group #
Valeo is a global mobility technology company with more than a century of history. It develops automotive systems and technologies intended to make mobility safer, more sustainable, and more affordable.
The group operates through three main divisions—POWER, BRAIN, and LIGHT—alongside Valeo Service, which supports aftermarket activities and other mobility-related services.
Its technology and market positions span several major automotive areas:
- Electrification and powertrain systems.
- Advanced Driver Assistance Systems.
- Smart lighting and visual systems.
- Automotive software and software-defined vehicles.
- Aftermarket products and services.
In 2025, Valeo Group generated sales of €20.9 billion. As of February 26, 2026, the company operated 149 production plants, 59 research and development centers, and 19 distribution platforms. It employed more than 100,000 people across 29 countries.
Valeo is listed on Euronext Paris.
About Valeo China #
Valeo entered the Chinese market in 1994 and has followed its long-term strategy of developing products and technologies around local customer requirements.
China is Valeo Group’s largest national market in terms of sales, total employees, and research and development personnel.
In 2025, Valeo China reported sales of RMB 28 billion. Its operations included:
- 22 manufacturing sites.
- 10 research and development centers.
- 17,000 employees.
- 4,300 R&D engineers.
The company continues to expand its role in China’s automotive innovation ecosystem, supporting both established automakers and newer electric-vehicle manufacturers.
More than 60% of Valeo China’s order intake comes from local Chinese automakers, including traditional manufacturers and new EV companies.
Its current business priorities include electrification, intelligent driving, software-defined vehicles, and supporting Chinese automotive brands as they expand into international markets.
