BlackBerry surges on deal with Baidu for self-driving cars

A Blackberry smartphone is displayed in this illustrative picture taken in Bordeaux, Southwestern France, August 22, 2016. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau/Files

BlackBerry Ltd and Chinese Internet search firm Baidu Inc signed a deal to jointly develop self-driving vehicle technology, sending BlackBerry's Toronto-listed shares up 13% to a four-year high. 

The deal follows similar agreements with firms including Qualcomm Inc, Denso and Aptiv Plc to develop autonomous-driving technology with BlackBerry's QNX software, which are expected to start generating revenue in 2019.