Google search chief Singhal to quit, to be replaced by AI head

India-born Amit Singhal, the longtime head of Google's internet search business, is set to quit the company later this month and will be replaced by the technology giant's artificial intelligence chief.

Singhal, 47, who joined Google in 2000, has been involved with many technologies that have made Alphabet, the parent of Google, an engineering powerhouse and one of the world's most valuable companies.

"February 26 will be my last day at Google. My relationships are the most important thing I've accumulated in life," Singhal wrote in his retirement post on Google Plus.

Describing his 15-year stint at the company as a "dream journey", Singhal wrote he wished to spend time with his family and intended to give away some of his fortune.

"It has always been a priority for me to give back to people who are less fortunate, and make time for my family amidst competing work constraints - but on both fronts, I simply want to give and do more," Singhal wrote on Wednesday.

"Now is a good time to make this important life change. Things are in amazing shape. Search is stronger than ever, and will only get better in the hands of an outstanding set of senior leaders who are already running the show day-to-day," he added.

Singhal will be replaced by John Giannandrea, currently working in artificial intelligence(AI) at Alphabet.

Born in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, Singhal joined Google in 2000 and his earliest jobs at the company was rewriting the initial breakthrough algorithms.

"From a little boy growing up in the Himalayas dreaming of the Star Trek computer, to an immigrant who came to the United States with two suitcases and not much else, to the person responsible for search at Google, every turn has enriched me and made me a better person," Singhal wrote.

"It fills me with pride to see what we have built in the last fifteen years. Search has transformed people's lives; over a billion people rely on us...Today, it has become second nature to us. My dream Star Trek computer is becoming a reality, and it is far better than what I ever imagined," he added.