As Google prepares to introduce its new Android experience for PCs next year, a new job listing is revealing some details around Google’s efforts and how that ties back to ChromeOS.
Google first announced in mid-2024 that the future of ChromeOS would be built more on Android. More recently, roughly a year after that initial announcement, Google clarified that its effort would build the “ChromeOS experience on top of Android.” All the while, efforts to build a more capable desktop experience within Android have been in the works, with Google confirming more details in October, including that Android PCs would be launching in 2026.
That all brings us to now, where a few more details have come to light from a job listing and some public-facing code tidbits spotted by Android Authority. There’s a lot of speculation going on around this new platform, but there are some important details:
A Google job listing refers to this new effort as “Aluminium OS”
Google says “Aluminium OS” is “built with Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the core”
ChromeOS and “Aluminium OS” will co-exist for some amount of time
Diving into the job listing first, Google directly refers to this new platform as “Aluminium OS.” The listing was posted on LinkedIn and was looking for someone to fill the role of “Senior Product Manager, Android, Laptop and Tablets” in Taiwan.
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Through the listing, Google explains that “Aluminium” is a “new operating system” that is “Android-based” and “built with Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the core.”
The job listing reads in part:
The team is responsible to drive ChromeOS and Aluminium (e.g., Android) platforms and devices, in conjuntion with cross-functional stakeholders and external partners. The team is working on a new Aluminium, Android-based, operating system and a new focus on Premium devices and experiences. Aluminium is a new operating system built with Artificial Intelligence (AI) at the core.
In this role, you will be responsible for driving the roadmap and curating a portfolio of ChromeOS and Aluminium Operating System (ALOS) Commercial devices across all form factors (e.g., laptops, detachables, tablets, and boxes) and tiers (e.g., Chromebook, Chromebook Plus, AL Entry, AL Mass Premium, and AL Premium) that meets the needs of users and the business…
The listing further explains some of the responsibilities of the role, including developing “the goal and strategy for the Commercial Chrome OS/Aluminium devices,” working with device manufacturers to create “a commercial portfolio,” and “develop and maintain a product/portfolio roadmap that addresses deliverables and strategy that transit Google from ChromeOS to Aluminium with business continuity in the future.”
That last one in particular raises an eyebrow, as it suggests that Google will eventually look to fully move away from “classic” ChromeOS into this new “Aluminium OS.”
The listing further mentions building out “Aluminium” devices in tiers such as “AL Entry, AL Mass Premium, and AL Premium” alongside Chromebook and Chromebook Plus devices. Form factors would include “laptops, detachables, tablets, and boxes.” The mention of commercial here makes sense, as enterprise – and perhaps education too – would be the most sensitive part of a switch from existing ChromeOS to something based on Android.
There’s not much said about how this new OS would have “AI at the core,” but that’s a going focus for Google. Android XR, for instance, is described on the Android website as an “AI-powered operating system.”
Meanwhile, over in bug reports, Google engineers are referring to “Aluminium” in regards to some ChromeOS boards that use MediaTek Kompanio 520 and 12 Gen Intel processors. Elsewhere, “non-Aluminium ChromeOS” was mentioned, implying that Google may keep the ChromeOS name around on this new platform, though “Android Desktop” was used similarly. In theory, that could mean we see devices with “ChromeOS” sold at the same time as devices with an entirely different experience, just both built on the same underlying platform. But, while there are a few more details now, there’s still a lot we don’t know about what Google has planned.
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