As Google Cloud Next ‘24 Kicks Off, CEO Thomas Kurian Touts All Things AI
The hyperscaler aims to “make AI helpful for everyone, to improve the lives of as many people as possible.” (Plus, find out how VMware by Broadcom plays into this week’s Google Cloud Next news.)
![Google Cloud Next '24 Google Cloud Next '24](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt10e444bce2d36aa8/blt691d412c30f7792b/66158b8dac6f788e605cef99/Google_Cloud_Next_2024_Feature.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
“We last came together just eight months ago at Next 2023, but since then, we have made well over a year’s progress innovating and transforming with our customers and partners,” Kurian said.
To that point, he noted, Google Cloud has:
Introduced more than 1,000 product advances across Google Cloud and Workspace.
Expanded to 40 regions around the world.
Invested in new subsea cable to connect global organizations to Google Cloud.
Launched new models, including those related to Gemini.
Attracted a significant percentage of the world’s generative AI startups and unicorns.
More is on the way, Kurian said.
Look for multiple announcements around heftier computing power, as has grown standard among the hyperscalers and other cloud providers supporting artificial intelligence.
There’s also quite a bit concerning Gemini (for example, Gemini 1.5 Pro soon will go into public preview), Vertex AI (giving customers access to more gen AI models and agent builders), coding and cybersecurity. In essence, almost everything incorporates and involves AI — no surprise, really.
And, tying back to Nvidia’s recent conference of its own, Google Cloud will add the latest Blackwell platform as of early 2025. That will comprise two variations: the HGX B200 and the GB200 NVL72.
“The potential for gen AI to drive rapid transformation for every business, government and user is only as powerful as the infrastructure that underpins it,” Kurian said.
Given that Gemini serves as Google Cloud’s highest-profile AI platform, it’s no surprise the company is infusing it into as many products as possible. Here are the latest updates, shared by Kurian:
Gemini in BigQuery: Data teams may do their work with the help of AI, gaining assistance in areas including natural language and embedded visualizations.
Gemini in Databases: AI here simplifies and secures data migration from legacy systems.
Gemini in Looker: New AI capabilities support easy data-agent integration with workflows. Other new gen AI tools enable chat with proprietary business data, and integration with Google Workspace.
Gemini in Threat Intelligence: Natural language offers insights about threat actor behavior. Gemini makes analysis of much larger samples of potentially malicious code an easier task. It also enables analysis of interactions among modules for understanding of a code’s true intent.
Gemini in Security Operations: The new assisted investigation feature converts natural language to detections, summarizes event data, recommends actions, and provides conversational chat.
Gemini for Google Vids: This latest Workspace app lets users create videos through AI. It supports video, writing, production and editing assistance. It can generate editable storyboards, for example, offer preset voiceovers, and more. Vids will join Workspace Labs in June.
AI Meetings and Messaging add-on: With “take notes for me,” chat summarization and real-time translation in 69 languages, this collaboration tool will cost $10 per user per month.
New AI Security add-on: Workspace admins now may automatically classify and protect sensitive files and data using privacy-preserving AI models and data loss prevention controls trained for their organizations. The AI Security add-on costs $10 per user per month and can join most Workspace plans.
“We are excited to see organizations building AI agents that serve customers, support employees and help them create content, in addition to the coding agents, data agents and security agents mentioned earlier,” Kurian said.
While chipmaker Broadcom has worked with Google Cloud for some time now, it is officially naming the world’s third-largest hyperscaler as its preferred cloud provider. That means all VMware workloads now will reside on Google Cloud.
Meantime, Palo Alto Networks is choosing Google Cloud as its AI provider of choice.
Plus, Accenture, Capgemini, Cognizant, Deloitte, HCLTech, KPMG, McKinsey and PwC all have announced expanded gen AI implementation services for enterprises on Google Cloud.
At the same time, Google Cloud says those services partners, and others, have so far taken more than a half-million gen AI courses.
As Google Cloud kicks off in Las Vegas, here’s what Kurian has to say about the possibilities in front of the technology sector, especially those around AI.
“Today, realizing the full potential of the cloud goes beyond infrastructure, network and storage,” he said. “It demands a new way of thinking. It's embracing possibilities to solve problems in boldly creative ways, and reimagining solutions to achieve the previously impossible. We're both inspired and amazed to see this mindset quickly materialize in our customers’ work as they pave new paths forward in the AI era — whether automating day-to-day tasks or tackling complex challenges.”
The world is changing, Kurian added, “but at Google, our north star is the same: to make AI helpful for everyone, to improve the lives of as many people as possible.”
As Google Cloud kicks off in Las Vegas, here’s what Kurian has to say about the possibilities in front of the technology sector, especially those around AI.
“Today, realizing the full potential of the cloud goes beyond infrastructure, network and storage,” he said. “It demands a new way of thinking. It's embracing possibilities to solve problems in boldly creative ways, and reimagining solutions to achieve the previously impossible. We're both inspired and amazed to see this mindset quickly materialize in our customers’ work as they pave new paths forward in the AI era — whether automating day-to-day tasks or tackling complex challenges.”
The world is changing, Kurian added, “but at Google, our north star is the same: to make AI helpful for everyone, to improve the lives of as many people as possible.”
GOOGLE CLOUD NEXT — As channel partners and end users gather for the latest hyperscaler event of the year, it should come as no shock that AI is dominating the avalanche of announcements.
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian will take the stage on Tuesday to deliver his Google Cloud Next keynote speech. In advance of that, Kurian has published a blog featuring the major headlines coming out of the world’s third-largest cloud computing provider this week. One of the big ones we see speaking to the indirect channel concerns a very important change to VMware by Broadcom, a change happening via Google Cloud. We have those details in the slideshow above.
![Google Cloud's Thomas Kurian Google Cloud's Thomas Kurian](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt10e444bce2d36aa8/blte8b4c6e0081ee037/65244c7690c545b3a544e127/Kurian-Thomas_Google-Cloud.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Google Cloud's Thomas Kurian
Of course, there’s more, especially around Google Gemini and its new placement into various platforms and applications that will impact managed service providers, system integrators and other channel partners. To that end, we’ve extracted the most channel-relevant news from Kurian’s blog, and will continue to provide more coverage of Google Cloud Next throughout the next couple of days.
For now, check out what’s on the horizon at Google Cloud as Google Cloud Next 2024 kicks off in Las Vegas.
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