Alphabet Debuts TPU 8t/8i Chips, Partners with Nvidia and Lands $1B Merck AI Deal
Alphabet introduced TPU 8t and 8i AI chips, launched Gemini Enterprise Agent replacing Vertex AI, and partnered with Nvidia on Vera Rubin GPUs for its A5X infrastructure. It also struck a multi-year Merck deal worth up to $1 billion to deploy Gemini Enterprise across its R&D and commercial operations.
1. AI Chip and Infrastructure Upgrades
At Cloud Next, Alphabet unveiled TPU 8t for training and TPU 8i for inference as next-generation custom silicon, and announced collaboration with Nvidia to integrate Vera Rubin GPUs into its A5X cloud infrastructure, enhancing computational capacity for AI workloads.
2. Launch of Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform
The company introduced Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform to replace Vertex AI, consolidating AI tools and autonomous agents for enterprise applications, with built-in governance and security features tailored for logistics, customer service, and data analysis.
3. Strategic Merck Partnership
Alphabet secured a multi-year agreement with Merck valued up to $1 billion, embedding Google Cloud engineers in Merck teams and deploying Gemini Enterprise across R&D, manufacturing, and commercial functions to accelerate drug development, streamline regulatory submissions, and personalize patient engagement.