Google Australia has replaced its director of engineering, who has retired after 11 years.

The company has named Anil Sabharwal as its new director of engineering, to replace the departing veteran Alan Noble.

Mr Sabharwal began his Google career in Sydney back in 2009 before moving to California, where he came to prominence as the leader of the team that conceived, built, and launched Google Photos in 2015.

He will lead the company’s Australian engineering team, and will also “continue to lead Google’s global efforts in personal communications and photos”, Google says.

The company is reportedly setting up a product team for Google Photos in Australia.

Photos is Google’s fastest-growing product, underpinned by significant investments in deep learning and machine learning.

Mr Sabharwal said Google’s Australian operations had grown “tremendously” since he left the country.

“Australia has some of the most talented engineers in the world, and our Sydney office will continue to work on efforts that make big impact at a global scale,” he said.

Former local engineering leader Alan Noble has moved on the a role at non-profit AusOcean, which conducts reef monitoring and ocean environmental protection work.