Future Pixel devices could soon feature Google-made chips thanks to a key hire by the search giant.
According to Variety, Google has hired Manu Gulati, a former Apple engineer, to help it create its own chips. While not a household name, Gulati has been instrumental in the development of Apple’s Ax series of chips. Gulati joined Apple in 2009 and helped the company launch its first custom-made chip, the A4, alongside the iPad in 2010. Moreover, 15 Apple patents, many of them chip-related, list Gulati as one of their inventors.
Gulati confirmed the move on his LinkedIn profile on Tuesday. His title at Google is “Lead SoC Architect.”
Moving forward, Variety says Google plans to quickly scale its SoC development team, with multiple job postings on the company’s website confirming the publication’s reporting. One of the positions listed on Google’s website has the company looking for a “Mobile SoC CPU Architect,” who will “help define the architecture of future generations of phone and tablet” chips. Elsewhere, Google is looking for a “Hardware Engineer, Mobile SoC Architect” and “Mobile SoC Memory Architect.”
Currently, Google relies on third-party chipmakers like chipmakers like Qualcomm and Texas Instruments for the entirety of its chipset needs. Not only is that likely to change soon, but convincing Gulati to leave Apple is likely came as a major blow to the Cupertino-based tech giant.
Between Gulati’s hire and Google’s recent offer to LG to invest $880 million USD into its display division, it appears Google is getting serious about its own phones.
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