QNX Record Quarter and Strong Profitability
QNX delivered a record quarter with revenue of $78.7M (up 20% YoY), Q4 gross margin of 84% (up 1 pp), and adjusted EBITDA of $21.4M (27% of revenue). For the full fiscal year QNX grew 14% and generated $71M of adjusted EBITDA, making QNX a Rule of 40 business for both the quarter and the year.
Substantial QNX Backlog Expansion
QNX royalty backlog increased to approximately $950M, with backlog growth accelerating to ~10% this year (up from ~6% prior year), and management noting they added significantly more into backlog than was recognized in the P&L.
Meaningful Design Wins and Partnerships
Quarter included multiple strategic wins: a Tier 1 supplier for the Chinese market (Xeris SoCs), a major North American top-5 automaker upsell (production expected this year), an ADAS safety win in Europe (Qualcomm Snapdragon), industrial automation wins (GEDP), medical instrumentation wins including Johnson & Johnson, and growing robotics/physical AI pipeline. Key ecosystem partnerships highlighted include Vector (Alloy Core), ARM (named QNX as a foundational partner), NVIDIA and Qualcomm. Alloy Core on track for general release this calendar year and expected to drive higher ASPs.
Secure Communications Momentum and ARR Growth
Secure Communications revenue was $72.5M in Q4 (up 8% YoY, 12% above guidance). ARR rose to $218M (+$2M sequential, +5% YoY). Dollar-based net retention rate improved to 94% (up 2 pp sequential). Notable wins and expansions included strong Secusmart sales to the German government, a multiyear expansion with Shared Services Canada, NATO, Malaysian anticorruption agency, and multiple public sector renewals/expansions for AtHoc.
Strong Company Margins, EBITDA and Cash Generation
Total company Q4 gross margin expanded to ~78.2% (≈+5 pp YoY). Q4 adjusted EBITDA was $36.1M and full-year adjusted EBITDA was $107.1M (exceeding the top end of guidance). Q4 adjusted EPS beat guidance at $0.06. Q4 operating cash flow was $45.6M plus $38M in deferred proceeds; cash & investments ended at $432.4M (net cash ~$232M).
Capital Allocation, Buybacks and Optionality
The company repurchased 6.7M shares for $25M in the quarter (15.5M shares / $60M since program launch). Management is considering tuck-in M&A to accelerate QNX growth, and expects materially improved cash conversion with FY2027 operating cash flow ~ $100M (nearly double YoY).
Positive FY2027 Guidance and Growth Outlook
Company guidance for FY2027: consolidated revenue $584M–$611M (6%–11% growth), adjusted EBITDA $110M–$130M, non-GAAP EPS $0.15–$0.19. QNX guidance targets durable double-digit growth and continued Rule of 40 profile; Secure Communications expected to return to full-year growth for the first time in six years.
Non-Auto / Physical AI Traction
Non-automotive revenue now represents roughly 20% of QNX revenue with wins in industrial automation, medical instrumentation and robotics/physical AI. Management expects these adjacent verticals and physical AI to be high-growth, higher-ASP opportunities over time.