Cloud · Top stories
Cloudflare launches Billable Usage API for programmatic cost visibility
Cloudflare introduced a new Billable Usage API for self-serve accounts, providing programmatic access to usage and cost data across all usage-based products. This API allows automation and FinOps tools to consume detailed billing information, addressing the need for machine-readable cost visibility as infrastructure management becomes more automated.
Cloudflare Workers and Containers now support inbound TCP connections and gRPC
Cloudflare has added support for inbound TCP connections and gRPC to its Workers and Containers platforms. This update allows developers to build real-time applications, such as AI-powered voice interfaces, that require low-latency communication.
Cloudflare Launches Meerkat, a Leaderless Global Coordination Service Based on QuePaxa
Cloudflare introduced Meerkat, an internal globally consistent control-plane service that uses the QuePaxa consensus algorithm. Meerkat allows leaderless writes, which improves availability across Cloudflare's global network by avoiding the downtime associated with leader failures in traditional consensus algorithms like Raft.
AWS Builder Center Launches Free Sandbox Environments for Workshops
AWS Builder Center now offers free, time-limited sandbox environments for workshops, eliminating the need for developers to use personal AWS accounts or worry about unexpected charges. This initiative addresses a common barrier to learning new AWS technologies by providing pre-provisioned, temporary environments for hands-on practice.
HashiCorp Introduces tfpolicy, an HCL-based Policy-as-Code Framework for Terraform
HashiCorp has launched tfpolicy, a new HCL-based policy-as-code framework for Terraform, now in public beta within HCP Terraform. This framework integrates policy creation and enforcement directly into Terraform workflows, aiming to simplify infrastructure governance by using the same language and workflow as infrastructure provisioning.
Cloudflare launches MoQ provisioning API for isolated relays with access controls
Cloudflare introduced a new API that allows users to provision isolated Media over QUIC (MoQ) relays with separate credentials for publishers and subscribers. This update provides the necessary isolation and access controls for running applications on Cloudflare's global MoQ network, which previously offered only an unauthenticated endpoint.
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.
cdnjs Migrates Entirely to Cloudflare's Developer Platform
cdnjs, an open-source CDN for JavaScript and CSS libraries, has fully migrated its operations to Cloudflare's Developer Platform as of June 23, 2026. This migration demonstrates the platform's maturity and its ability to handle large-scale, high-traffic services, impacting how developers access and utilize common web libraries.
AWS Lambda Introduces Self-Managed Code Storage, Increasing Account-Level Quotas
AWS Lambda now allows self-managed code storage, enabling functions and layers to reference deployment packages directly from customer-owned S3 buckets. This change removes the per-Region code storage quota for large function fleets and increases the default Lambda-managed storage from 75 GB to 300 GB, but does not alter individual function size limits.
Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Identity Adds Private Key JWT Authentication
Amazon Bedrock AgentCore Identity now supports Private Key JWT client authentication for agents, allowing them to authenticate to identity providers using signed JSON Web Tokens instead of shared secrets. This enhancement improves security by keeping private keys within AWS Key Management Service (KMS) and enabling more secure machine-to-machine authentication flows for AI agents.
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.
AWS releases 2026 Phase 1a IRAP report for Australian customers, adding four services
AWS has made its 2026 Phase 1a IRAP report available to Australian customers via AWS Artifact, which includes four new services assessed at the PROTECTED level. This update increases the total number of PROTECTED-level services to 167, providing Australian government and critical infrastructure customers with more options for secure cloud deployments.
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.
Uber implements "Zero Growth Stack" for infrastructure and AI cost optimization
Uber introduced its "Zero Growth Stack" strategy to decouple infrastructure capacity from business demand, reducing physical hardware and optimizing AI costs. This initiative includes dynamic Go runtime tuning and new governance for generative AI tools, addressing a sixfold increase in AI-related expenses since 2024.
Verizon secures $1B dark fiber deal with Google, converts central offices for AI workloads
Verizon announced a deal exceeding $1 billion to connect Google data centers using its dark fiber infrastructure. The company is also converting its central offices into small data centers to support AI inference workloads, aiming to capitalize on growing AI-related spending.
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.
AWS expands ISO and CSA STAR certificates to include two additional services
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has completed an audit adding two new services to its ISO and CSA STAR certifications. This expansion reflects AWS's ongoing commitment to quality management and information security in its cloud offerings.
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.
Mega Datacentre Proposed for Outer Melbourne Faces Community Opposition
Syncline Energy plans to build a 350-hectare "Victorian AI hub" datacentre in Plumpton, outside Melbourne, which would be Australia's largest and consume more electricity than Victoria's largest power station. Local residents are raising concerns about environmental impact, electricity and water usage, and the scale of the development, leading to a petition for comprehensive assessment.
Power line failure near DC caused 3 GW data center load drop, stressing PJM grid
A fallen power line near Washington, DC, led to over 3 gigawatts of data center load dropping simultaneously from the PJM grid, causing voltage spikes and grid instability for over 10 minutes. This incident highlights the increasing impact of concentrated data center loads on electrical grid stability, particularly in regions like Northern Virginia.
Major Cloud Providers Now Offer Agent Sandboxes with Varied Implementations
AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, and Cloudflare now all provide agent sandboxes for isolated code execution, with Google Cloud recently launching its Cloud Run sandboxes into public preview. This development means all four major cloud providers offer native isolated code execution, each utilizing different underlying isolation technologies and lifecycle models.
Airbus Selects Scaleway as Sovereign Cloud Partner, Prioritizing Protection from Extraterritorial Laws
Airbus selected French provider Scaleway as its sovereign cloud partner, making protection against non-European extraterritorial legislation a formal evaluation criterion in its tender process. This decision highlights a growing concern among major industrial buyers regarding data sovereignty and legal jurisdiction in cloud services.
Experts Warn Space Datacenters Proposed by SpaceX and Blue Origin Could Be Catastrophic
Space industry experts and environmental groups have petitioned the FCC to pause new licenses for orbital datacenter projects, citing concerns that millions of proposed satellites from companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin could cause catastrophic environmental damage. The petition argues that pollution from re-entering satellites, including black soot and rare metals, could alter Earth's atmosphere, damage the ozone layer, and increase light pollution. This development matters because it highlights growing environmental scrutiny on large-scale space infrastructure projects and could impact the regulatory landscape for future orbital deployments.
Pentagon awards Oracle 10-year, $7 billion software contract for on-premises use
The Pentagon signed a 10-year contract with Oracle, valued at up to $7 billion, for on-premises software licenses, maintenance, and consulting across military branches and intelligence agencies. This agreement provides Oracle with a significant government revenue stream amid investor concerns about its growth prospects in the AI era.
Cloudflare Introduces Cache Response Rules for Enhanced CDN Caching Control
Cloudflare has launched Cache Response Rules, a new feature that allows users to modify HTTP response headers after an origin server replies but before content is cached by Cloudflare's CDN. This enables better control over caching behavior, addressing issues like unwanted `Set-Cookie` headers or incorrect `Cache-Control` directives that prevent content from being cached efficiently.
Google Cloud Customers Spend 50% More Than Committed, Driving Q2 Growth
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian stated that existing customers are spending approximately 50% more than their initial commitments, contributing to Google Cloud's 82% year-on-year growth in Q2. This increased spending and demand for services led Google to utilize third-party providers for additional capacity, despite potential margin impacts, to capture customer demand and bridge capacity gaps.
Microsoft Exchange Online Mailboxes Incorrectly Quarantined Due to Infrastructure Change
Microsoft is addressing an issue that has been incorrectly quarantining Exchange Online mailboxes since Sunday, preventing users from sending and receiving emails and accessing calendars. The problem stems from a recent infrastructure change causing excessive memory consumption and out-of-memory conditions, leading to mailboxes being mistakenly quarantined.
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.
Weka launches NeuralMesh 6 to enhance GPU memory via flash storage caching
Weka has unveiled its NeuralMesh 6 platform, which uses affordable flash storage to cache AI model tokens, reducing dependency on expensive GPU memory. This innovation could lower costs and speed up AI deployments, particularly benefiting organizations with high GPU utilization demands.
Google Meet launches homepage redesign with meeting agenda view
Google Meet is introducing a redesigned homepage that centralizes meeting agendas and essential artifacts. This update aims to enhance organization and preparation for meetings, making it easier to access relevant information and materials.
Apple releases SOC 3 audit reports for Private Cloud Compute system
Apple has released a series of SOC 3 audit reports for its Private Cloud Compute Provisioning System. These independent examinations confirm the effectiveness of Apple’s services including security, processing integrity, and confidentiality for the reported periods.
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.
Meta Horizon+ now includes Xbox Game Pass starter edition for VR users
Meta Horizon+ subscribers can now access a selection of Xbox Game Pass titles, featuring over 50 games and 10 hours of monthly cloud gaming. This integration allows VR users to download and play these titles on their Meta Quest headsets, enhancing the gaming experience with Xbox features such as cloud saves and multiplayer.
Oracle faces potential $7B bill over Wisconsin data center contract
Oracle may owe up to $7 billion in collateral for failing to meet performance standards at its Wisconsin data center. This situation could have significant financial implications for Oracle, as it raised concerns among investors and may impact future contracts and operations.
Microsoft Releases Fixes for WSUS Synchronization Issues
Microsoft addresses synchronization delays in Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) affecting update deployment since July 13, 2026. A manual fix involves database cleanup and configuration changes, while service-side mitigations help new server setups.
AWS EKS launches self-healing node feature for GPU instances
AWS has implemented a self-healing feature in its Amazon EKS for GPU nodes, allowing automatic detection and replacement of failed nodes. This enhancement aims to reduce downtime and manual intervention, streamlining operations for Kubernetes clusters.
AWS Launches CloudFormation Express Mode for Faster Deployments
AWS has launched CloudFormation express mode, which marks stack operations complete once API calls succeed, reducing deployment times significantly. This mode allows resources to initialize without waiting for full stabilization, catering to faster development workflows where immediate readiness is not critical.
Arm and Google Launch Axion Processors for Efficient Agentic AI Workloads
Arm and Google have introduced custom Axion processors optimized for running agentic AI workloads in cloud environments. These processors enhance efficiency by matching varying workload types to the most suitable compute resources, making operations less costly and more effective.
Cloudflare Enhances Smart Tiered Cache for Better Public Cloud Performance
Cloudflare has improved its Smart Tiered Cache to better serve public cloud origins by allowing users to provide a cloud region hint. This development enhances the system's efficiency, enabling more accurate routing and cache selection even for ambiguous origin IPs.
Kubernetes v1.36 Enhances Resource Management with New Features
Kubernetes v1.36 introduces several advancements, including beta in-place vertical scaling for pod-level resources, alpha pod-level resource managers, and GA Pressure Stall Information metrics. These updates aim to improve resource efficiency and management for complex and performance-sensitive workloads, providing more flexibility and insights into system operations.