BlackBerry Goes From Burning Cash To Powering Physical AI: Why Bulls Suddenly Can’t Stop Talking About QNX And Robots

• BlackBerry CFO Tim Foote said the company has transformed from a cash-burning business into a profitable software company.
• The company also sees growth opportunities in robotics and industrial automation.
• On Wednesday, BlackBerry renewed a key U.S. government cybersecurity certification for its AtHoc emergency communications platform.

BlackBerry (BB) stock gained overnight after the company’s leadership said it is entering a new growth phase after several years focused on cost cuts, restructuring and profit improvements. 

Presenting at the CIBC Technology & Innovation Conference 2026 on Thursday, BlackBerry QNX’s President John Wall also highlighted rising demand for the QNX software platform in automotive systems, robotics, and physical AI applications.

BB’s Turnaround Efforts Begin Paying Off

BlackBerry CFO Tim Foote said BlackBerry has shifted from a cash-burning business into a profitable software company.

“We pivoted the company from one which was loss-making, burning significant amount of cash to one that's now solidly profitable. We've had 8 consecutive quarters of improving GAAP net income and also generating cash,” said Foote. 

He added that the next stage of the company’s strategy centers on expanding revenue growth rather than simply improving profitability. BlackBerry expects operating cash flow to increase further this year while continuing to reinvest heavily into its QNX business.

Foote said its QNX business continues to gain momentum, driven by strong demand from technology and industry, while its Secure Communications division has also returned to growth. 

“So there's a couple of tailwinds in there, digital sovereignty, which is a real buzz thing at the moment, but also defense spending. Both of those are catalysts for that side of the business,” Foote added. 

BB’s QNX Business Gains Momentum

Executives said QNX revenue increased 14% last fiscal year, mainly due to strong demand for automotive software. The business provides core operating systems and virtualization software used in digital dashboards, driver-assistance features and self-driving vehicle systems. 

The company also sees expanding opportunities outside automotive markets through its general embedded market division, which includes robotics and industrial automation applications tied to physical AI systems.

“And now what we're seeing in the general embedded market is the same things that we've seen in automotive, which is the need for higher performance compute, the need for more speed,” said QNX President John Wall. 

BB Expands Public Sector Push With FedRAMP Certification 

On Wednesday, BlackBerry Secure Communications division renewed a major U.S. government cybersecurity certification for its AtHoc emergency communications platform, strengthening its position in the federal and critical infrastructure markets.

The company completed its 2026 FedRAMP Class D (High) recertification, a designation for cloud systems that manage highly sensitive but unclassified federal information. 

This increases BlackBerry’s credibility at a time when government agencies ramp up spending on crisis response systems and secure communications tools.

BB Retail Traders View

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around the stock jumped to ‘neutral’ from ‘bullish’ territory the previous day. Message volume saw a 52% jumpe in 24 hours. 

A user said, “physical embodied AI, secure communications, physical asset tracking, AI cybersecurity IP, licensing, quantum. Sounds like a $3B MC company to me.” 

Another user said, “QNX Everywere, including Cooperative Robots! 

Let that sink in.....COOPERATIVE ROBOTS!”

BB stock has gained over 75% year-to-date. 

Also See: APLD, BE, GFS Stocks Hit 52-Week Highs: What's Driving The Surge?

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