Amazon may be building a new brain for Alexa

Amazon wants to give Alexa a new brain. The company is currently at work on a new processor for its Echo speakers that would make Alexa faster and smarter, according to a new report. SEE ALSO: Amazon lays off hundreds, pointing to Jeff Bezos' focus on Alexa The move, reported by The Information, would be a significant shift for the company, which until now has relied on the cloud for much if its AI processing (also why Alexa panics when she loses her connection, announcing "I'm having trouble connecting to the internet"). Creating a dedicated AI chip would reduce Echo speakers' reliance on the cloud and increase the speed with which they're able to respond to requests and process data. It's not clear when such a shift would happen, but the report notes Amazon has been trying to bolster its chipmaking abilities since it acquired Israeli chipmaker Annapurna in 2015. For consumers, the change could lead to major improvements in Alexa's assistant capabilities.