Samsung is collaborating with Mozilla on the development of a new Android browser engine called Servo, which will be optimised for ARM-based devices running off multi-core processors.
Mozilla started developing Servo using its programming language Rust in 2012, while Samsung joined the project in recent months.
Mozilla CTO Brendan Eich said Servo is an attempt to rebuild the web browser from the ground up on modern hardware, rethinking old assumptions along the way.
"This means addressing the causes of security vulnerabilities while designing a platform that can fully utilise the performance of tomorrow’s massively parallel hardware to enable new and richer experiences on the Web," Eich said.
"Samsung has already contributed an ARM backend to Rust and the build infrastructure necessary to cross-compile to Android, along with many other improvements."
Mozilla is planning to launch its first Firefox OS-powered phones through operators including Alcatel, Huawei, LG, and ZTE. The company has offered Rust to Android developers in beta form, while it has not yet confirmed the launch date of the new Servo browser.
Smartphone maker Samsung, which is the major force behind the Google Android OS, has already said it is not interested in powering its phones with Mozilla’s new browser-based operating system. Instead, Samsung is planning to release smart phones powered by the Tizen operating system in August this year.
