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HUNG-YING TYAN: Hello, everyone.
My name is Hung-ying.
I'm here to talk about GSI, the generic system images.
GSI is by definition, the purest form of Android framework
that we can build from AOSP.
By purest, we mean that it doesn't contain any device
maker or carrier customization.
You will want to ask--
AOSP has been there for 10 years--
why does it become a thing right now?
It is because GSI is the central piece in Treble compliance.
So remember the project, Treble?
We took on the Android updatability problem
with Treble.
About two years ago in the Oreo timeframe.
We re-architected Android to have a clear boundary
between the Android framework and the hardware related vendor
implementation.
With this boundary clearly defined,
we no longer need to update the vendor implementation
with the Android framework.
So this has greatly reduced the cause and time for device maker
to update their Android framework.
Now, to make sure that the boundary is not
altered by device makers at will,
we require every Treble certified device
to pass a set of CTS and VTS tests
with their Android framework replaced by GSI.
So with all these powerful tools in place, about a year ago,
we started to see the momentum of faster Android Pie
adoption this year.
So let's take a look at the Android beta program
at Google I/O last year.
Only Nexus and Pixel phones were available for you
to try out Android Oreo.
And fast forward one year later at Google I/O
this year, it was the first time ever
that we had non-Google phones to join the beta lineup.
And it's not one, it's not two, it's
7 device makers joining us.
So the progress was phenomenal.
We know we are on the right track.
And we will continue to push for it.
Now despite that GSI is the central piece in Treble
compliance, we feel that it has a lot more potential than that.
So we set out a goal to make GSI be more accessible and useful,
not just for device makers, but also for the general public,
including app developers like you and even consumers.
An important first step toward that goal
is to make GSI available in AOSP.
So for this, we have published Pie GSI in AOSP.
So now you can download and build Pie GSI today.
We are also exploring ways to make
future GSI available earlier than the release
of next Android version.
So you will be able to try out next century version earlier
over GSI.
And at the same time, we can also
get early feedback from you.
So the benefit is mutual.
So please stay tuned for our further announcements on this.
Finally, we understand that trying out GSI
can be cumbersome sometimes.
We are looking into different ways to improve the process.
Right now we have an idea of trying out GSI without actually
flashing GSI onto the device.
But I'm not going into detail here.
We do have a working early prototype at our demo booth.
In addition to that, we also prepare a set of devices.
They are all running on the same Pie GSI.
So please do check out our demos at the Android platform
sandbox.
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