BlackBerry said on Thursday that it will use Qualcomm's hardware platforms as part of its push into the connected car space. The "non-exclusive" design agreement will see select Qualcomm hardware optimized for BlackBerry's QNX software for use in areas such as virtual cockpit controllers, telematics, electronic control gateways and infotainment systems. BlackBerry said it will also optimize its over-the-air software and credential management services for use within certain Qualcomm Snapdragon modems. The automotive industry is one of the fastest-growing segments of the technology market, as automakers race to add more autonomous features and ultimately seek to build self-driving cars. For BlackBerry, the automotive industry has become core to its transformation strategy and CEO John Chen's efforts to shift away from consumer electronics and back toward selling products business-to-business.