Android 12 has not only brought a large number of changes related to the user interface and system functions but also many hidden innovations, some of which are still unclear. This is the case of Private Compute Core, present on Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 6 Pro and of which no one knows in detail how it works.
What is Private Compute Core
Private Computer Core is essentially the place where sensitive data is processed within the device, without therefore being accessible by other applications. On the Pixel 6 series, of which it is currently an exclusive function, it is used for some functions such as Now Playing, Live Caption and Smart Reply, but Google has not provided particular details on how it works but that could change very soon.
The Californian giant has said that it will open the source code of the Private Compute Services so as to allow independent security researchers to test its effectiveness, without however providing precise timing. Thanks to these new services it will be possible to send new artificial intelligence models to the Private Computer Core using a private and secure connection.
The communication between the Private Compute Services and the functions that access it takes place through a series of dedicated open-source APIs, which delete any information that may make the data identifiable, applying various privacy technologies to preserve security.
At the base of Private Compute Core, there would be, according to XDA Developers, an Android virtual machine called microgrid, a reduced version of the generic Android system image, better known by the acronym GSI. The latter is an essential version of the operating system but apparently, the microgrid is really reduced to the bone, in order to be able to virtualize a single Android application, without having to recreate an entire operating environment.
To manage these virtual machines, Google has adapted Chrome OS’s VMM (Virtual Machine Manager), which is already used to run Linux applications in Chrome OS. Android 12 would use a development version of the Kernel Generic Image, on which the VMM is based and the stable version should arrive with Android 13. The next version of the green robot would use a pKVM (Protected Kernel-based Virtual Machine) which would allow keeping private the data inside it even in case of compromise of the operating system.
The diagram provided by Google at the last Google I/O better clarifies the functioning of the new function. In essence, it is a sandbox designed to process sensitive information, with the utmost respect for privacy. Think Smart Reply, which offers suggestions based on the ongoing conversation.
Gboard can ask Smart Reply to suggest phrases and terms, passing the data of the conversation in progress. The latter are processed in the Private Compute Core, without any data being shared with other applications or with Google: Gboard will only receive a list of anonymized suggestions.
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Everything that is processed in the private area can access the network only through the Private Compute Services and their APIs after the privacy technologies have been applied to make them anonymous. In practice, however, the use will be restricted to the download of new models, the use of federated learning, and little else. At the moment, however, Google seems willing to keep these functions tight, in order to perfect their operation before the release of the sources, limiting their use to a few and targeted functions.
Pixel exclusive or function for everyone?
However, it is difficult to understand if the Private Compute Core is an exclusive of the Pixels, in particular of the Pixel 6 series, since Google has never stated that it is an exclusive function. In the AOSP, for example, there is the microdroid which can therefore also be used by other manufacturers who want to use Android 12.
At the moment, however, Google uses them only with exclusive Pixel 6 functions, with the possibility of bringing them to previous models in the coming months, so it cannot be excluded that Google wants to keep these functions for itself, to make its smartphones even more exclusive.
The idea behind Private Computer Core is therefore very interesting, given that it represents an important turning point in the management of sensitive user data, but it will be up to Google to provide more details when it deems it appropriate, perhaps at the end of a test period. on Android 12 and a limited number of devices.