Google Could be Building Its Own Processors

Reports suggest that Google will soon start building its own processors. While the Cupertino company has long relied on other vendors for its chips, with the new Google Pixel C tablet, set for release later this year, running on an NVIDIA Tegra X1, a new job posting for the Mountain View, California Pixel C team shows Google are searching for a Multimedia Chip Architect. The Pixel C is described by Google CEO Sundar Pichai as the “first Android tablet built end-to-end by Google.”

According to the job posting, the responsibilities for the Multimedia Chip Architect will be:

• Propose chip architecture based on product requirements
• Prototype design in FPGA or simulator
• Evaluate performance of various performance algorithms
• Lead a chip development effort
• Work with other engineers to take chip to product shipment

“Normally, I wouldn’t read too much into a job posting because often system designers need people with chip-level expertise,” chip analyst Jim McGregor told Business Insider. “However, with the trend towards vertical integration, especially at Microsoft and Apple, it wouldn’t surprise me if Google developed their own chips, especially for Android productivity tablets to compete with the Surface Pro and iPad Pro.”

Google has declined to comment on the job posting or any potential plans to build its own processors.

Image courtesy of TechRadar.