In a significant move impacting Meta Platforms’ Reality Labs division, the company is set to lay off employees from its chip unit, known as the Facebook Agile Silicon Team (FAST). According to inside sources, approximately 600 employees in the FAST unit have been informed about the layoffs via Meta’s internal discussion platform, Workplace. The affected employees are expected to receive notifications about their employment status early on Wednesday.
While Meta has not officially confirmed the layoffs, reports indicate that the restructuring within the FAST division has been anticipated since earlier this year. The restructuring comes after Meta’s struggles in producing competitive custom chips internally, leading the company to rely on external providers like Qualcomm to manufacture chips for its existing AR and VR devices. The FAST unit has been instrumental in Meta’s efforts to develop custom chips, enhancing the performance and efficiency of its devices in the emerging AR/VR market.
The potential impact of these layoffs on Meta’s metaverse-focused projects, including Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg’s ambitious plans for augmented and virtual reality products, is significant. One of the key projects affected by these layoffs is the development of AR glasses, a technology Zuckerberg believes will revolutionize human interaction with technology. However, if the cuts within the FAST unit are deep, they could potentially hamper the progress of these projects.
This move follows Meta’s earlier acknowledgment, made by Zuckerberg, that layoffs were imminent in the spring, with some changes possibly extending into the year’s end. The company has remained tight-lipped about the extent of the cuts within the silicon unit. In addition to the FAST division, another chip-making unit within Meta’s infrastructure division focused on artificial intelligence work has faced challenges. The executive in charge of those efforts recently announced her departure, although Meta has appointed a successor to continue the work in that area.
Meta’s current product lineup includes mixed reality headsets called Quest and smart glasses developed in collaboration with Ray-Ban eyeglass maker EssilorLuxottica. These smart glasses can stream videos and interact with wearers through a new AI virtual assistant.
What is FAST?
When Meta Platforms, Inc., the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp went for significant corporate restructuring, one of its main missions was to create the metaverse, a virtual reality space poised to revolutionize digital interactions. To support this dream, it created Facebook’s Agile Silicon Team, known as FAST. This specialized team was created to design custom chips tailored specifically for metaverse devices, a strategic move aimed at reducing the bulkiness of headsets and lessening the company’s reliance on external chip manufacturers like Qualcomm.
FAST’s mission extends beyond mere hardware innovations. By taking complete control over the chip design process, including software integration, Meta wants to optimize user experiences within the metaverse. However, the layoffs in the FAST unit highlight Meta’s ongoing efforts to navigate the competitive landscape of chip development and secure a strong position in the burgeoning AR/VR market. As the company faces challenges in-house, its strategic decisions and partnerships will play a crucial role in shaping the future of its metaverse-oriented endeavors.
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