Meta Superintelligence Labs is quietly building a hardware team

Meta is significantly enhancing its superintelligence division by assembling a specialized hardware team, signaling a bold move into AI-driven devices. The tech giant is reportedly bringing on board Rui Xu, a seasoned engineer, to spearhead this new initiative. Xu previously led hardware efforts at Dreamer, an AI startup that Meta recently acquired, showcasing his deep expertise in the field. This initiative is part of the Meta Superintelligence Labs (MSL), a prominent AI division established last year, which suggests that the company is exploring innovative AI device options beyond its existing offerings, such as smart glasses and virtual reality headsets from its Reality Labs. Sources indicate that some engineers from Reality Labs have transitioned to MSL to collaborate on prototyping software specifically for AI applications. This close partnership aims to leverage Reality Labs hardware for the new AI projects, enhancing Meta's capabilities in this domain. Rui Xu's background is impressive, having previously worked at ByteDance on smart devices and holding management roles at major companies like Xiaomi, Lenovo, and Tencent. His leadership is expected to drive MSL's hardware ambitions forward, particularly as other tech leaders, such as OpenAI, race to create AI-native devices that extend beyond traditional smartphones. Alexandr Wang, the head of MSL, has articulated a vision where individuals will have personalized AI agents integrated across various devices. "You're going to want your personal agent to be with you in a bunch of different ways that will always be on, see what you see, hear what you hear," he remarked in a podcast earlier this year. As Meta gears up for this new journey, the tech community eagerly anticipates the innovative developments that will emerge from MSL in the coming months.