Google bets on enterprise agents

Google used its Cloud Next event in Las Vegas this week to pitch AI agents as the main product it wants big companies to keep paying for. (reuters.com) (blog.google) At the April 22 conference, Alphabet Chief Executive Sundar Pichai and Google Cloud leaders rolled out a Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, new Tensor Processing Units, and more cloud tools built around what Google calls the “agentic enterprise.” (reuters.com) (cloud.google.com) (blog.google) Google paired that software push with infrastructure deals. TechCrunch reported that Mira Murati’s Thinking Machines Lab signed a new multibillion-dollar agreement to expand its use of Google Cloud systems powered by Nvidia’s latest GB300 chips. (techcrunch.com) (finance.yahoo.com) An AI agent is software that can take on a task, call other tools, and act across a workflow with less step-by-step prompting than a chatbot. Google is selling that idea to companies as a reason to buy not just models, but also the cloud capacity, data tools, and security services needed to run them. (reuters.com) (cloud.google.com) That pitch comes as cloud providers look for steadier revenue than one-off model demos. Reuters reported that Google is trying to turn enterprise AI into recurring spending on software subscriptions and the computing infrastructure underneath them. (reuters.com) Google also used the event to show that it has the hardware alliances to support that plan. Nvidia said the two companies are working on stacks that include Blackwell and Vera Rubin systems, confidential computing for Nvidia graphics processors, and Gemini-based agent tools that run on Google Cloud. (blogs.nvidia.com) (blog.google) The company added money to the channel around that strategy too. Google Cloud said it is setting aside $750 million to help partners in its 120,000-member ecosystem build and sell agentic artificial intelligence services. (googlecloudpresscorner.com) Google is making this push against stronger competition in enterprise AI. Reuters said Google is trying to gain ground on Microsoft and Amazon in cloud services while also facing pressure from model companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic. (reuters.com) (mercurynews.com) The regulatory backdrop has not gone away. Reuters reported that Google’s artificial intelligence and cloud expansion is unfolding while the company faces antitrust scrutiny that could shape how it bundles products and extends its reach with enterprise customers. (reuters.com) Cloud Next runs through April 24, but Google’s message was already clear on April 22: it wants AI agents to become the recurring reason companies stay on Google Cloud. (googlecloudevents.com) (reuters.com)