Sundar Pichai, head of Google, has announced a major reorganization of the company with the creation of the "Platforms and Devices" group with AI as the guiding star.
The new group will be responsible for software, services, and hardware
The group will be responsible for most consumer-facing products and services, including Pixel, Android, Chrome, ChromeOS, Photos, and more. Rick Osterloh gets the important job. Osterloh previously held the title of “SVP of devices and service.”
Osterloh uses the Pixel mobiles as an example of steady collaboration between the software and hardware teams to create the cameras, and that they believe that with this approach they can improve efficiency: "You have to have deep knowledge of the hardware systems, from the sensors to the ISPs to all layers of the software stack. I think hardware/software/AI integration showed how AI could totally transform the user experience.
Keeps the Pixel and Android teams separate
The Tensor chips that power the Pixel mobile are another example the head of the new department cites as an example of the necessary innovation needed to compete with Nvidia. Osterloh's goal is to accelerate the rate of improvement and of course: integrate AI everywhere. At the same time, Google points out that they want to keep Pixel and Android separate, that is, to be careful not to try to outcompete important Android companies such as Samsung with the Galaxy series.
Google's hope is that launching new products takes less time, that there is less bureaucracy in the way, that the products are made to last, and that the software is updated more frequently.