Meta Superintelligence Labs covertly assembles hardware team

Meta's division focused on superintelligence is establishing a specific hardware group and has recruited a seasoned engineer to oversee it, as the company delves further into AI-driven gadgets.

Meta is renowned for products like smart glasses and virtual reality headsets developed by its Reality Labs unit. 

This newest initiative belongs to Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL), introduced last year as a leading AI segment, hinting that Meta may be considering other AI device variants.

The effort, currently unreported, involves some Reality Labs engineers joining MSL to test the AI sector's software on Reality Labs devices, with both teams closely collaborating, a source with insight disclosed.

The tech leader has appointed Rui Xu, who managed hardware at Dreamer, an AI assistant startup acquired by Meta last month, to manage hardware at MSL, according to knowledgeable sources.

Before Dreamer, Xu was the chief operating officer at K-Scale, a robotics startup that ceased operations last year, The Information reported. 

Nat Friedman, who heads the products and applied research unit at MSL, had invested in K-Scale via the AI Grant initiative he co-developed.

Xu previously worked on electronic devices at ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, leading a team that distributed millions of units in China, according to his LinkedIn profile. 

His prior roles also include management positions at smartphone producers Xiaomi, laptop manufacturers Lenovo, and internet powerhouse Tencent.

Tech corporations such as OpenAI are in a race to develop a personal AI device that goes beyond the capabilities of a smartphone.

During a February podcast, MSL leader Alexandr Wang mentioned that Meta's ambition is to transition from mobile phones to a reality where everyone possesses a personalised AI assistant that exists across a network of devices.