Google Unveils Ironwood AI Chip to Power Next-Gen AI Apps

Each Ironwood chip packs 192GB of memory and can work in massive clusters of up to 9,216 chips. Google says it doubles the performance-per-watt compared to its previous chip, Trillium.

The chip specializes in "inference" - running existing AI models rather than training new ones. This focus matters as companies rush to deploy AI applications at scale.

Google built Ironwood specifically for cloud customers who need to run large language models efficiently. The chip includes a specialized core for recommendation systems and ranking tasks.

The launch highlights Google's push to compete with Nvidia, which dominates the AI chip market. Unlike Nvidia's products, Google's chips are only available through its cloud service.

Google plans to integrate Ironwood into its AI Hypercomputer system later this year, though it hasn't named the manufacturer producing the chips.

Why this matters:

• Google joins the race to build specialized AI hardware, challenging Nvidia's grip on the market
• The focus on efficiency shows how running AI has become a major cost for tech companies

Google Unleashes Gemma 3: The AI That Fits in Your Pocket

Google just launched Gemma 3, the latest version of its “open” AI model. This new release packs a serious punch - it can analyze text, images, and videos while running on devices as small as your phone. The tech giant claims Gemma 3 outsmarts rivals like Facebook’s Llama and OpenAI

implicator.aiMarcus Schuler

Marcus Schuler

San Francisco

Editor-in-Chief and founder of Implicator.ai. Former ARD correspondent and senior broadcast journalist with 10+ years covering tech. Writes daily briefings on policy and market developments. Based in San Francisco. E-mail: [email protected]