BlackBerry’s Stock Skyrockets after It Announces AWS Partnership

Years ago, BlackBerry traded in the title of “mighty smartphone slinger” for “security software specialist.” An unexciting swap, sure, but one that kept it afloat.

Then came yesterday, when BlackBerry announced a partnership with Amazon Web Services to develop its IVY “intelligent vehicle data platform.” Another nothingburger to the untrained eye, but music to investors’ ears: BlackBerry’s stock shot up as much as 65% yesterday, its biggest one-day gain on record.

Why so high?

BlackBerry is already a car connoisseur: Its QNX software is embedded in 175+ million vehicles.

IVY represents another layer of vehicle integration. Automakers will be able to use the system to crunch sensor data, roll out over-the-air updates based on that data, and personalize in-car experiences. IVY will run inside vehicle sensors, but it can be tweaked remotely.

The remote connectivity part is where the top dog in cloud computing comes in. From an optics perspective, scooping AWS as a tech partner was a boon for BlackBerry.

• And for its part, AWS likely did far more due diligence on the IVY partnership than GM did for the (scrapped) Nikola deal.