From Google Cloud Blog · 40 stories
Scribd uses Gemini Enterprise batch inference to classify over 400 million documents
Scribd, Inc. utilized Gemini Enterprise's batch prediction capabilities to classify more than 400 million user-uploaded documents across Scribd and Slideshare for trust and safety. This process, completed in months, allowed Scribd to analyze 12 billion pages of content using Gemini's native PDF understanding, avoiding the need for OCR or rendering pipelines.
Google's Managed Service for Apache Spark Introduces Flexible VMs to Mitigate Capacity Stockouts
Google's Managed Service for Apache Spark now offers Flexible VMs, allowing users to define multiple acceptable machine families for Spark clusters. This feature helps prevent cluster creation delays and execution failures caused by compute capacity stockouts in specific zones or regions, particularly relevant with increased AI-driven demand for compute.
Google Cloud Secure Source Manager Adds New Capabilities for CI/CD Pipeline Security
Google Cloud Secure Source Manager (SSM) has introduced two new generally available capabilities to enhance CI/CD pipeline security. These updates aim to prevent unauthorized access to CI/CD systems and manage unauthorized code changes by authorized users, addressing growing software supply chain threats.
Google Cloud Adds Native BM25 Ranking to AlloyDB and Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL 17+
Google Cloud has introduced native BM25 ranking in AlloyDB and Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL 17+, eliminating the need for a separate full-text search backend. This integration provides a unified hybrid search backend for combining semantic vector search with traditional keyword search, which is critical for generative AI and RAG applications.
Google Cloud introduces cross-cloud caching for BigQuery to reduce data transfer costs
Google Cloud has launched a preview of cross-cloud caching for BigQuery, allowing frequently accessed data from other clouds to be cached locally in Google Cloud. This feature aims to reduce data transfer costs and accelerate cross-cloud queries for users of the borderless Lakehouse architecture.
SeaVerse Reduces Infrastructure Costs by 60% Using GKE Agent Sandbox
SeaVerse, a gaming startup focused on playable AI experiences, adopted Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) and GKE Agent Sandbox to manage its AI workloads. This implementation reduced the company's infrastructure costs by up to 60% while providing strong isolation and low latency for dynamic, multi-tenant sandbox environments.
Google Cloud Introduces Granular Session Management Tools with Automation and Group Targeting
Google Cloud has rolled out new session management tools that offer native, granular controls, moving beyond broad administrative settings. These updates include programmatic policy configuration via Terraform, gcloud, and APIs, along with the ability to target policies using Google Groups and apply controls to specific applications.
Google Cloud Dataflow Adds Pause/Resume for Batch Jobs and NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 GPU Support
Google Cloud Dataflow introduced Pause/Resume functionality for batch jobs and added support for NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell GPUs. These updates allow users to recover from job failures and dynamically reallocate compute resources, while also providing enhanced processing power for AI inference workloads.
BigQuery Introduces New Augmented Analytics Table-Valued Functions
Google's BigQuery now includes a suite of augmented analytics Table-Valued Functions (TVFs) that automate complex data analysis. These functions integrate AI, ML, and statistical methods to diagnose metric changes, uncover trends, and isolate the impact of business decisions, operating directly within BigQuery.
AlloyDB Omni RPM Orchestrator for PostgreSQL is Generally Available
Google has announced the general availability of the AlloyDB Omni Red Hat RPM orchestrator, launching alongside AlloyDB Omni version 18.3.0. This release provides production-ready security, resiliency, and low-downtime operations for PostgreSQL workloads on virtual machines and bare-metal servers, integrating Google's AI capabilities.
Google Cloud Data Analytics, BI, and Database Teams Announce New Features
Google Cloud has introduced several updates across its data analytics, business intelligence, and database services, including stateful processing for BigQuery continuous queries, a synthetic data generator for Managed Service for Kafka, and faster Dataflow pipeline updates. These features aim to enhance real-time data processing, simplify testing, and improve pipeline management for users.
Google releases Gen AI SDK for Kotlin 1.0, offering multiplatform access to Gemini
Google released version 1.0 of its Gen AI SDK for Kotlin, providing developers with an idiomatic multiplatform library to integrate Gemini generative AI capabilities into Kotlin applications. This SDK simplifies interaction with both the Gemini Developer API and the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, enabling AI features across JVM, Android, and other Kotlin Multiplatform targets.
Google Introduces TabFM Foundation Model for Predictive Analytics in BigQuery
Google has launched TabFM, a pre-trained foundation model for regression and classification on tabular data, now available in preview within BigQuery. TabFM enables zero-shot predictions via SQL, eliminating traditional model training and deployment steps, which simplifies predictive analytics for enterprise tasks like churn prediction or fraud scoring.
Google Cloud introduces Fault Injection Testing in public preview
Google Cloud has launched Fault Injection Testing in public preview, allowing users to automate failure testing in their cloud environments. This tool helps ensure applications remain available and reliable during disruptions by deliberately introducing faults to verify safety mechanisms.
Google Cloud's Knowledge Catalog Integrates Open Knowledge Format (OKF) for Agent Context
Google Cloud's Knowledge Catalog now integrates with the Open Knowledge Format (OKF), allowing organizations to share and govern OKF bundles across their systems. This integration enables discoverability, governance, and secure access for AI agents to contextual information, addressing the scalability challenges of managing OKF bundles independently.
AlloyDB ScaNN now scales vector search to 10 billion vectors with new architecture
AlloyDB's ScaNN index has been updated with a new four-level tree architecture, enabling it to scale vector search to 10 billion vectors. This enhancement addresses memory and computational challenges in large-scale AI applications, improving efficiency for enterprise workloads.
Google Cloud DMS Automates SQL Server to PostgreSQL Migration with Gemini AI
Google Cloud's Database Migration Service (DMS) now automates the translation of SQL Server stored procedures that return multiple result sets into PostgreSQL's `SETOF refcursor` architecture. This update integrates Gemini, Google's generative AI, to convert proprietary SQL code to PostgreSQL PL/pgSQL, addressing a key bottleneck in large-scale database migrations.
Google expands Americas network with three new subsea cables and Firmina branch
Google is expanding its network infrastructure in the Americas with three new subsea cable systems: Alisios, Canoa, and OlaLuz, along with a new branch for the existing Firmina cable. This expansion aims to improve connectivity, reliability, and resilience for internet users and cloud services across Latin America, the Caribbean, and North America.
Google Cloud launches Developer Device Platform for mobile app development and testing
Google Cloud has launched the public preview of its Developer Device Platform (DDP), a fully managed cloud service providing on-demand access to physical devices and virtual emulators for mobile app development and testing. This platform aims to simplify the process of building, testing, and debugging applications across various devices, particularly for agentic development.
Google Kubernetes Engine Integrates ClusterNetworkPolicy for Centralized Network Security
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) has integrated ClusterNetworkPolicy (CNP), an open-source standard from the Kubernetes SIG-Policy Working Group, to provide centralized network security management. This integration allows administrators to implement consistent, non-bypassable policies across a cluster, addressing the limitations of standard Kubernetes NetworkPolicy for global security enforcement.
BigQuery Data Transfer Service Adds New Connectors and Capabilities for Data Ingestion
Google Cloud's BigQuery Data Transfer Service (DTS) has expanded its data ingestion capabilities with new connectors and features, including direct ingestion into Apache Iceberg tables, a managed Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, and support for additional databases and marketing platforms. These updates aim to reduce the effort required for data movement into BigQuery, allowing users to integrate more diverse data sources with less manual setup.
Google Cloud and MLCommons use Confidential Computing for privacy-preserving medical AI evaluation
Google Cloud is collaborating with MLCommons' MedPerf initiative to enable privacy-preserving evaluation of medical AI models using Confidential Computing. This partnership allows AI models to be benchmarked on diverse, real-world patient data within secure environments, addressing the challenge of evaluating AI without direct access to sensitive information. The technology is already being applied to brain tumor research through the Federated Tumor Segmentation (FeTS) initiative, helping to overcome data scarcity and model generalization issues.
Google Cloud Filestore now uses Colossus for enhanced scalability and performance decoupling
Google Cloud's Filestore, an NFS file service, now incorporates Colossus, Google's distributed storage system, as its backend storage layer. This integration allows Filestore to decouple storage capacity and performance, offering greater flexibility and scalability for demanding workloads, including AI and containerized environments.
Google Data Commons on Spanner Graph Reaches General Availability, Platform Previewed
Google announced the general availability of Data Commons on Spanner Graph and a preview of the new Data Commons Platform. This update allows businesses to integrate their private data with public datasets from over 100 providers, facilitating the creation of knowledge graphs for informed decision-making.
AlloyDB Introduces IAM Group Authentication for Enterprise and AI Agent Access
Google Cloud's AlloyDB now supports Identity and Access Management (IAM) group authentication, available in preview. This feature allows for identity-driven access control, simplifying database security management for large organizations and AI agents by moving beyond individual user provisioning.
Google Cloud expands Conversational Analytics to BigQuery, Looker, and databases
Google Cloud announced the general availability of Conversational Analytics for BigQuery and Looker, and a preview for AlloyDB, Cloud SQL, and Spanner. This expansion allows users to query data across multi-cloud and database workloads using natural language, integrating with tools like BigQuery Studio and Gemini Enterprise. The update provides broader access to generative AI capabilities for data analysis within Google Cloud's ecosystem.
Google Cloud introduces new cost controls for AI services with anomaly detection
Google Cloud has launched new features in its Billing console, including early anomaly detection for AI services and spend caps on Google Cloud Budgets. These tools help users monitor and control unpredictable AI-related cloud costs, which can fluctuate significantly with generative AI workloads.
SAP Business Data Cloud Connect for BigQuery is now generally available
SAP and Google Cloud have announced the general availability of SAP Business Data Cloud Connect for BigQuery. This integration provides zero-copy access to data products between SAP Business Data Cloud and Google's BigQuery, aiming to reduce data silos and accelerate analytics and AI initiatives.
NOAA selects Google Cloud for Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has chosen Google Cloud as the primary provider for its Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System (WCOSS). This move transitions NOAA's weather prediction infrastructure from on-premises to a cloud-first model, making it one of the first operational Numerical Weather Prediction centers globally to adopt a public cloud for its core operations.
Checkout.com Migrates to Managed Service for Apache Airflow to Improve Efficiency
Checkout.com migrated from a self-managed Apache Airflow setup to Google Cloud's Managed Service for Apache Airflow (Gen 3). This change enhances reliability, reduces infrastructure management costs, and increases developer efficiency by automating scaling and simplifying dependency management.
Google Cloud Enhances IAM with Conditions for Better Access Control
Google Cloud's Identity and Access Management (IAM) now allows for more granular permissions through IAM conditions. This enhancement enables organizations to apply the Principle of Least Privilege more effectively by constraining access to specific resources within projects.
Google AlloyDB Boosts AI Functionality with New Features and Performance Enhancements
Google has introduced new AI functions to AlloyDB, enhancing data processing with features such as sentiment analysis and improved multilingual search. These updates include Gemini model integration for better handling of logographical languages and a 4x speed increase for vector searches. These improvements allow businesses to efficiently manage and analyze unstructured data.
Cloud Run simplifies multi-region service deployment for better availability
Cloud Run has introduced features for easier deployment of multi-region, highly available services. Users can now use readiness probes for health checks and automate failover to healthy regions, reducing downtime.
Panasonic Automotive and Google Cloud Collaborate on CDC Virtualization Platform
Panasonic Automotive has launched vSkipGen, a virtualization platform validated on Google Cloud’s C4A-metal. This collaboration enables faster development and validation of cockpit software for software-defined vehicles, addressing hardware limitations in traditional development methods.
BigQuery Introduces Data Governance Tags for Column-level Security
Google Cloud has introduced data governance tags in BigQuery, enhancing column-level access control capabilities. These tags provide a global scope for data policies, support disaster recovery, and enable hierarchical classification to improve data security management.
Google Leads Multiple 2026 Gartner and IDC AI & Analytics Rankings
Google has been named a Leader in multiple 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrants and the IDC MarketScape for its AI and Analytics offerings. It was recognized for Analytics and Business Intelligence, AI Infrastructure, and Conversational AI Platforms by Gartner, and for Foundation Model Software by IDC. These accolades highlight Google's continuing leadership in AI and Analytics capabilities.
Google Tests AI Agent Collaboration in Generative Film Production
Google's internal hackathon demonstrated that AI agents can collaborate to produce short films. This experiment highlights the potential for AI in creative industries, showing that agents can manage distinct roles and adhere to quality checks.
Google Cloud Expands SQL and Python Integration with %%bqsql Magic
Google Cloud has introduced the %%bqsql IPython cell magic, enabling seamless integration of SQL and Python in data processing. This update facilitates data scientists and engineers in using SQL directly in Jupyter notebooks, enhancing productivity and collaboration across different coding environments.
Google Cloud Integrates AI for Improved Cybersecurity in Software Development
Google Cloud has integrated AI into its software development lifecycle to enhance cybersecurity. By embedding AI agents, Google aims to provide faster and automated threat responses, capitalizing on deep contextual analysis. Key developments include the creation of an autonomous security model and the introduction of the Google AI Threat Defense platform, which unifies security data and speeds up vulnerability response.
Google Cloud and Valtech Launch Nexus SDV for Enhanced Software-Defined Vehicles
Google Cloud and Valtech introduced Nexus SDV, a modular platform for software-defined vehicles (SDVs) supporting integration with Android Automotive OS (AAOS). This platform processes real-time data, enhances vehicle interaction, and supports up to 100 million devices, marking a shift towards AI-enabled automotive technologies. The release leverages Google Cloud's AI capabilities and aims at reducing operational costs and improving vehicle services.