Google is planning to build one more campus in Silicon valley. This time, most of the built-in area will be occupied by its hardware division, according to preliminary plans obtained by CNBC. The campus is called “Midpoint.” The tech giant began planning on this campus in 2018. It had bought land worth approximately $398 million in the northern areas of San Jose. This new campus will be located between its iconic headquarters in Mountain View and its recently approved mixed-use campus in San Jose.
CNBC said that the proposed campus dubbed Midpoint will consist of five office buildings, according to the plans. They will be connected to each other via a pedestrian bridge constructed over a road. It will sit next to three industrial buildings. According to many planning documents these buildings will be used by its hardware division including Nest products.
The agency also reviewed plans and permits for a Research and Development Center that mentioned updates for
- meeting rooms
- lounges
- small kitchens
- platforms for equipment
- conveyor belts
- a shipping warehouse.
The plan also included “Google Hardware” and “Nest” which includes smart devices used in homes. Since executive Rick Osterloh, took over the role of overseeing devices and services such as Nest and Google Home smart speakers as well as its flagship Pixel smartphone and PixelBook laptops, the hardware division might be planning to bring its entire operations under one roof.
Recently Google announced that it would no longer use Qualcomm chips but will manufacture its own chips for its Pixel phones. As the hardware division develops, Google might be planning more changes to strengthen its in-house hardware capabilities.
Google’s hardware division has been making the lowest contribution to the successful tech giant’s huge revenues. Its website and YouTube are the largest revenue earners. With a new dedicated campus and a renewed interest in producing in-house hardware, the division might also become a larger contributor to its parent company in the near future.
