Tags: Google Cloud

Anthropic, the maker of Claude AI models, has agreed to pay Google $200 billion over the next five years for cloud services and custom chips. The agreement, reported by The Information, adds to a wave of multi‑billion‑dollar contracts that are creating a $2 trillion revenue backlog for the world’s biggest cloud providers. Industry analysts say the deal underscores the escalating cost of powering large‑scale AI models and raises questions about the long‑term sustainability of such massive spending. Read more

OpenAI announced that Microsoft will remain its primary cloud partner but will no longer hold exclusive rights to the AI firm’s services. The shift allows OpenAI to run workloads on Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud while keeping Azure as the first choice when suitable. Microsoft retains model access through a license lasting until 2032 and will continue receiving a revenue share through 2030, though the exclusivity that once barred OpenAI from other providers has been lifted. Read more

Microsoft announced Monday that its exclusive right to sell OpenAI’s artificial‑intelligence models on Azure will end. The tech giant will retain a non‑exclusive licence to OpenAI’s intellectual property through 2032, remain the primary cloud partner and hold onto its 27% equity stake. OpenAI will continue paying a capped revenue share to Microsoft through 2030, while Microsoft will no longer pay a share on products it resells. Shares of Microsoft fell about 3% after the news, while rivals Amazon and Alphabet logged modest gains. Read more

Meta has agreed to power its expanding artificial‑intelligence services with millions of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Graviton processors, the company announced Friday. The ARM‑based CPUs, designed for AI inference tasks, will replace the cloud provider’s previous reliance on competitors such as Google Cloud. The move underscores a broader industry shift toward specialized CPUs for real‑time reasoning, code generation and other agentic workloads, and highlights AWS’s growing portfolio of custom chips, including its Trainium GPU for training and inference. Read more

At Cloud Next 2026, Google announced a sweeping rebrand of its AI offerings, merging Vertex AI, Agentspace and new services into the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform. The rollout includes Workspace Studio, a no‑code builder for AI agents across Gmail, Docs and other Google apps, a Model Garden with more than 200 models, and the production‑grade Agent2Agent protocol now in use at 150 enterprises. CEO Thomas Kurian framed the move as owning the entire stack—from custom TPU silicon to the inbox—positioning Google against rivals that, he said, “hand you the pieces, not the platform.” Read more

Anthropic announced a new agreement with Google Cloud and Broadcom that will add roughly 3.5 gigawatts of compute capacity, primarily in the United States, to power its Claude models. The expansion builds on a 2025 deal and is slated to be operational by 2027, reflecting surging demand from enterprise customers despite recent U.S. Defense Department concerns. CFO Krishna Rao called the move the company’s “most significant compute commitment to date.” Read more

Michael Gerstenhaber, product vice president for Google Cloud's Vertex AI platform, explains that AI models are being evaluated on three fronts: raw intelligence, response time, and cost‑effective scalability. He notes that while the technology shows promise, broader adoption of agentic AI is slowed by missing infrastructure for auditing, data authorization, and production‑ready patterns. Gerstenhaber also points to Google’s unique vertical integration—from data centers and custom chips to APIs and compliance tools—as a strategic advantage in addressing these challenges. Read more

A senior Google executive cautioned that AI startups built solely around wrapping large language models or aggregating multiple models face a bleak outlook. He emphasized the need for deep, differentiated intellectual property and warned that merely layering a user interface on top of existing models no longer attracts market interest. While praising ventures that embed unique value, he highlighted opportunities in developer platforms, direct‑to‑consumer tools, biotech and climate technology, suggesting that the next wave of successful AI firms will be those that create genuine, specialized moats. Read more

Google Cloud has launched managed Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers that let AI agents directly access Google services such as Maps, BigQuery, Compute Engine and Kubernetes Engine. The servers, offered in public preview at no extra cost to existing enterprise customers, simplify connector setup by allowing developers to paste a URL and instantly grant agents tool access. Built with Google Cloud IAM, Model Armor and audit logging, the offering adds security and governance controls. Google plans to expand MCP support to additional storage, database, monitoring and security services in the coming months, positioning the platform as a broader enterprise solution for AI‑driven workflows. Read more

Startups are leveraging artificial intelligence to streamline their go‑to‑market (GTM) efforts, allowing them to do more with fewer resources while still relying on traditional marketing expertise. Industry voices from OpenAI, Google Cloud and venture capital highlight how AI‑driven lead generation, personalized messaging and data‑rich insights are reshaping hiring priorities and campaign execution. Yet, experts caution that AI augments rather than replaces the need for deep marketing knowledge and customer insight. Read more

Google’s AI infrastructure leader told employees the company must double its serving capacity every six months to keep up with soaring AI demand. Vice president Amin Vahdat outlined a goal to increase compute, storage and networking capability roughly a thousand‑fold in the next four to five years while maintaining cost and energy efficiency. The push comes amid intense competition, with rivals like OpenAI planning six new data centers and committing massive investment to support hundreds of millions of weekly users. Google’s challenge is to build faster, more reliable, and more scalable infrastructure than any competitor. Read more

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 gathered sponsors and startups to showcase how artificial intelligence is reshaping key industries. The Aerospace Corporation led a pitch‑off featuring AI solutions for space exploration and orbital intelligence, while Epic Aircraft demonstrated AI’s role in aircraft design and certification. Sessions with WARP and Bright Data explored AI‑enhanced product strategy and data infrastructure. Supporting partners such as Google Cloud, Thomson Reuters and the Israel Innovation Authority underscored the broader ecosystem driving AI adoption across sectors. Read more

Google Cloud is focusing on early‑stage AI companies, offering $350,000 in cloud credits, technical assistance, and go‑to‑market support. The firm promotes an open AI stack that spans custom TPUs, foundation models and applications, aiming to win future unicorns before they grow large. Partnerships include TPU deployments with Fluidstack and collaborations with startups such as Loveable and Windsurf, while Google also hosts Anthropic’s Claude and provides TPUs to OpenAI. The strategy reflects Google’s broader commitment to open‑source tools and comes amid regulatory scrutiny of its search dominance. Read more

Tech giants and investors are pouring massive capital into AI infrastructure, signing multi‑billion‑dollar cloud and data‑center deals to meet soaring compute demands. Microsoft, Oracle, Google, Amazon, Nvidia, and others have locked in partnerships with AI firms such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta, committing billions to cloud services, GPU supply, and new data‑center construction. These agreements underline a race to secure the hardware and energy needed for next‑generation models, while also highlighting the growing influence of AI on corporate strategy and the broader technology ecosystem. Read more

Google Cloud announced that AI coding startups Lovable and Windsurf have chosen the platform as their primary cloud provider. The deals highlight Google Cloud’s strategy to attract fast‑growing generative‑AI firms, leveraging its Gemini models, Nvidia GPU clusters, and generous startup credit programs. This expansion adds to Google Cloud’s recent revenue growth and underscores its push to compete more aggressively with rivals AWS and Microsoft Azure. Read more

Replit announced a $250 million financing round that lifts its valuation to $3 billion. The round was led by Prysm Capital with participation from Amex Ventures and Google’s AI Futures Fund, while earlier backers such as Y Combinator, Andreessen Horowitz, and Coatue also took part. The company reports an annualized revenue surge from $2.8 million to $150 million in less than a year, surpassing the $100 million ARR reported in June. Replit’s deep ties to Google Cloud and its recent inclusion on Microsoft Azure highlight its expanding platform ecosystem. Read more