Meet the Client: Google ATAP

Google ATAP (Advanced Technology and Projects) is an experimental division within Google known for incubating high-risk, high-reward ideas at the intersection of hardware, software, and advanced manufacturing. Formed originally at Motorola Mobility and later integrated into Google, ATAP operates more like a DARPA-style innovation lab than a traditional product team — with aggressive timelines, multidisciplinary teams, and a mission to turn science fiction into reality. Project Ara, their boldest foray into modular smartphone design, aimed to redefine how mobile devices are built, upgraded, and personalized; creating a fully customizable platform for hardware innovation.

The Visionary Lab Behind Project Ara

Google, with LeafLabs’ expertise in embedded design, revolutionized the smartphone through Project Ara, a modular smartphone designed to snap together like Legos.

Allowing users to customize their smartphone in an instant is no small feat. The idea was bold and technically challenging, requiring excellent power efficiency, seamless module swapping, and exceptionally fast data-transfer rates.

LeafLabs was responsible for capabilities including: Mobile development, Android development, Linux Kernel development, Distributed Systems expertise, Communications Protocol implementation, Technical Leadership,  Project Management