Alongside its latest funding round, Nothing’s Carl Pei is laying out a vision for the future of the company which, ambitiously, includes creating a new operating system for smartphones and beyond.
In a post to the Nothing Community, CEO Carl Pei says that Nothing has just completed a new funding round at a $1.3 billion valuation. The $200 million funding round will be used to “execute on this vision by accelerating our innovation roadmap and further scaling our distribution.”
The “vision” mentioned here is to build for a future full of AI, as Pei has been hinting at for months.
Following prior comments about how a future smartphone OS will replace the apps you use, Pei says that Nothing wants to build its own operating system, and that it will be “significantly different” from what we’re used to today. In particular, the vision here is for the OS to be “hyper-customized” to the user and proactive, while using agents to accomplish tasks.
Pei says:
We see a future where operating systems are significantly different from the ones today. Each system will know its user deeply, and be hyper-personalised to each individual. Interfaces will adapt to our context and needs. Suggestions will surface naturally, and once we confirm an intent, agents will execute on our behalf. The system will handle the non-essential for us, allowing us to focus on what truly matters, which will be different for every person. Unlike today’s one-size-fits-all solution, a billion different operating systems will be rendered for a billion different people.
Over time, this OS will be transversal across all form factors: We’re starting with smartphones, audio products and smart watches, devices that people already use every day. In the future, our OS will carry into smart glasses, humanoid robots, EVs, and whatever comes next.
Notably, Pei says this will start with smartphones, audio products, and smartwatches, but would include other form factors such as smart glasses in the future.
In the meantime, Nothing is still using Android, with its Android 16 update set to be unveiled soon.
The post goes on to say that Nothing sees the smartphone as the “only device shipping at billion-unit scale each year,” but that “we’ll all be carrying an additional device that will be just as important” in the near future. What that device is remains unclear, but Nothing’s first attempt at launching an “AI-native device” will launch as soon as next year.
A new class of AI-native devices will emerge. Products that are available to the user at the moment of need, paired with intelligence that turns understanding into action. This is a very exciting time, imagining devices that capture context across modalities and generate interfaces on demand, shaped by what the user is trying to accomplish.
We have been hard at work imagining what this future could look like, and can’t wait to launch some of our first AI-native devices next year.
What do you think of Nothing’s vision for the future?
More on Nothing:
- Nothing Ear (3) teaser reveals ‘talk’ button and ‘Super Mic’ on new metal case [Video]
- Nothing teases its ‘redefined’ take on Android 16 is coming soon [Video]
- Nothing Phone (3) impressions: A week with the software, cameras, and battery life
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