Facebook developing chips for AI and own-brand IoT devices – Internet of Business
When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg sat before Congress like a besuited rabbit in 100 senators’ headlights, he was famously asked by Orrin Hatch how he was able to sustain a core business that is free to use. “Senator, we run ads,” came the response that launched a thousand memes on his own platform.
Facebook wants to design and manufacture processors to be used in its own home/consumer devices, as well as in artificial intelligence and data centre applications.
Among a number of related job ads, the social network recently advertised for a senior manager to develop and run an “end-to-end SoC/ASIC, firmware and driver development organisation,” which suggests that the plan is just leaving the drawing board.
Other ads reveal that Facebook is looking for engineers with experience in developing ASIC designs and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).
The move to design custom System on Chip and application-specific processors echoes both the recent strategies of Google, which has developed microprocessors to speed AI and search features in its data centres, and Apple, which makes a range of processors for its own devices, including application, Bluetooth, and security chips.
Recent reports have suggested that Apple is looking to further reduce its reliance on Intel by ditching the x86 architecture for its Mac computers in favour of its own silicon.