Facebook is following the footsteps of its fellow tech giants and planning to build its own chips. This move comes in the wake of recent efforts from Google, Apple, and Amazon reduce their reliance on Intel and Qualcomm.
As per a Bloomberg report, Facebook has listed job openings for chip designers. The company is looking to gather a team of engineers that can build “end-to-end SoC/ASIC, firmware and driver development organization.”
The listing also mentions the expertise to create solutions targeted at AI and machine learning a requirement. Facebook AI researcher Yann LeCun also recently tweeted about a similar vacancy. The position offered is full-time and located in company’s Menlo Park office.
Interested in designing ASIC & FPGA for AI?
Design engineer positions are available at Facebook in Menlo Park.I used to be a chip designer many moons ago: my engineering diploma was in Electrical… https://t.co/D4l9kLpIlV
— Yann LeCun (@ylecun) April 18, 2018
As this project is in its nascent stage, we don’t have detailed information. However, as the listings pertain to the infrastructure category, it’d be safe to assume that the company is looking to start with its servers and AI chips that are an integral part of how Facebook operates.
But, the overall project couldn’t be just limited to server infrastructure. It’s also a common knowledge today that Facebook is working to launch its smart speakers, and it already has hardware devices in the market under the brand Oculus. So, it would make perfect sense for the company to design custom silicon to suit the machine learning requirements of the devices.
It’d be interesting if Facebook plans to act swiftly on its smart speaker plans as it’s already facing heat due to Cambridge Analytica scandal. It remains to be seen if the potential users are going to be comfortable giving the company even greater access to their personal lives.
What are your predictions regarding Facebook’s silicon plans? Share your views with us and keep reading Fossbytes.
Also Read: Mark Zuckerberg May Not Be The Programming Whiz You Thought
