It has long been rumored that Google was looking for a way to begin making their own custom CPUs to run their mobile handsets, and according to this article from Variety, it looks like they have taken their first step.  The hiring of Apple’s Manu Gulati to come and work for Google is a really big deal.  Gulati helped design the custom chipsets found first in the iPad released in 2010, and has worked in the CPU designing field for over 20 years at places like AMD and Broadcom.

This is a big directional shift for Goole, and one that could potentially pay off huge dividends on the long run for their mobile device performance.  We will provide more detail and insight as it becomes available.