Google Cloud said the way artificial intelligence (AI) is used is shifting from simple question-and-answer to "agents" that perform real work. In line with this, it plans to build an integrated AI stack spanning infrastructure, data, security, and platforms, and target the enterprise market.
Thomas Kurian, Google Cloud chief executive officer, said at an online briefing on the 20th, ahead of "Google Cloud Next 2026," that "AI models in the past were limited to answering questions or generating content," and "they are now evolving to use tools to carry out tasks across multiple steps and handle work on behalf of users."
Kurian described this change as a "shift to agents." Whereas users previously entered prompts and the system generated results, going forward AI will carry out work through multiple steps on its own and use the tools it needs.
Google Cloud stressed that over the past year it has built an "AI stack for agents" to respond to this shift. The stack covers everything from infrastructure to data processing, security, and platforms.
First on the infrastructure side, it introduced two next-generation tensor processing units (TPUs): the training-focused "TPU 8T" and the inference-focused "TPU 8I." The TPU 8T strengthens large-scale training performance, while the TPU 8I is designed with an architecture optimized for inference.
On the data side, it introduced a "cross-cloud lakehouse" that lets users analyze data directly without moving it from other clouds such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure. It also unveiled a "knowledge catalog" feature that, through Gemini, consolidates scattered information into one so AI can understand the context.
Security has also been strengthened. Google Cloud combined Mandiant's threat detection with the Wiz security platform to introduce a Gemini-based security agent that automates everything from threat detection to response. Google acquired Mandiant in 2022 for $5.4 billion (about 8 trillion won) and Wiz last year for $32 billion (about 47 trillion won).
It also unveiled the "Gemini Enterprise Agent" platform, which lets customers develop and operate AI agents themselves. The platform is designed to automate work that spans data analysis, strategy development, and execution by using multiple agents at the same time.
Industry watchers say Google Cloud is using AI technology to spur corporations' cloud adoption and, through that, aiming to expand market share. According to the industry, Google Cloud ranks as the No. 3 player globally after Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. Still, buoyed by growing AI demand, it is cited as one of the fastest-growing business areas within parent Alphabet.