https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/18/17254236/facebook-designing-own-chips-ai-report

Facebook looks to be in the early stages of developing its own silicon to power its devices and servers, according to a new report from Bloomberg. The company is looking to hire a manager tasked with assembling an “end-to-end SoC / ASIC, firmware, and driver development organization.” So the plan is only coming together, but Facebook’s interest in becoming more self-reliant — and less dependent on outside companies like Qualcomm — makes it the latest tech giant to start down this path.

Apple already has self-branded chips inside its iOS devices and is reportedly planning to replace the Intel processors in Mac computers with its own. Google produces custom AI chips and included its first consumer-focused silicon (an image processor) in the Pixel 2 last year. It’s likely that the company has much bigger ambitions as part of its hardware rivalry with Apple. Amazon is said to be developing chips to improve Alexa’s AI smarts.