BlackBerry Ltd (BB  ) shares are climbing Tuesday. The company disclosed that future royalties lined up at its QNX business now exceed $1.2 billion. Here's what you should know.

QNX Signs Biggest Deal in its History

QNX has landed the largest contract win in its history. The customer is the first to choose Alloy Kore, QNX's foundational automotive operating system, and the deal carries more than $100 million in estimated future royalties.

BlackBerry says the win gives Alloy Kore real commercial backing and could broaden QNX's role in every vehicle, which would lift the royalty potential of each program.

The deal helped push QNX's royalty backlog past $1.2 billion, an all-time high. The total stood near $950 million when fiscal 2026 ended, so it has gained more than $250 million, or more than 26%, over the past two quarters. CEO John Giamatteo said that the numbers show BlackBerry's strategy is working.

Growing use of the QNX Software Development Platform 8.0 also fed the increase. Automakers are moving vehicle functions onto fewer, more powerful computers, and QNX software can run several domains and instances on a single one. A vehicle could therefore hold more QNX software and generate more royalties.

Large automakers and their top-tier suppliers around the world are already trying out the platform and building on it.

QNX Expands Beyond Automotive

Customers outside the auto industry added to the total. QNX won business in robotics, industrial automation and medical devices, markets BlackBerry groups under general embedded and Physical AI systems.

John Wall, president of QNX, said the company is bringing its software to these markets, where safety, security and reliability are essential. BlackBerry credits strategic relationships with leading silicon providers for strengthening its position.

BB Shares Are Popping

BB Price Action: BlackBerry shares were up 6.74% at $8.71 at the time of publication on Tuesday, according to Benzinga Pro.