Axion is an Arm based AI chip that's faster and more efficient (Image credit: Google)
Google is getting into custom processors designed to power its data centres with its first-ever “Axion” chip. Unveiled at its Cloud Next conference on Tuesday in Las Vegas, Google follows in the footsteps of Amazon, Alibaba, and Microsoft, all deploying their own server processors to lessen dependency on heavyweight microprocessor manufacturers, including Intel and Nvidia.
Its in-house data centre CPU, the Axion, is based on ARM’s Nanovers V2 technology. ARM is a British chip design company that designs, develops, and licenses its CPU products to other companies, including Apple and Qualcomm. It claims almost 99 per cent of premium smartphones are powered by ARM technology.
Google has a long history of designing silicon chips and deploying them at scale. So, what's next?
According to Google, the Axion chip offers 30 per cent better performance than the fastest general-purpose Arm-based virtual machines available in the cloud today, up to 50 per cent better performance, and up to 60 per cent better energy efficiency than comparable VMs based on x86 architecture.
It will support both Google’s internal workloads and general-purpose compute workloads such as web serving, data analytics, containerised workloads, and databases. Google, at the moment, is not disclosing details about the chip’s specifications. Google said its Axion chips are already powering the YouTube ads platform, Google Earth Engine, and other Google services including BigTable, Spanner, BigQuery, Blobstore, and Pub/Sub. The Mountain View, California-based tech giant plans to roll out the chip to business customers of Google Cloud “later this year.”
Google will deploy these chips at its data centre (Image credit: Google Cloud)
Google’s move to launch its own custom server processor shows how competitive the market is for cloud infrastructure, where most organizations rely on data centres and pay companies like Google and Amazon per usage. For Google, its cloud business, which is headed by Indian-American executive Thomas Kurian, now represents almost 11 per cent of the tech giant’s total revenue of $86 billion in Q4 2023. Google commands 7.5 per cent of the cloud infrastructure market in 2022, while Amazon and Microsoft together hold 62 per cent of the market, according to estimates from market research firm Gartner.
ARM-based CPUs are gaining traction in the cloud data centre market, with many players deploying their custom CPUs at scale. Amazon’s AWS announced its Graviton1 processor in 2018, Alibaba in 2021, and Microsoft announced its AI chip last year.
Google isn’t new to ARM designs. The company has been active in developing silicon designs for many years. Tensor, Google’s custom-designed ARM processor, already powers its Pixel smartphones. It is centred on the AI-boosting TPU that promises to improve images, videos, search, captioning, text-to-speech, and more. The company reportedly plans to move from Samsung’s modified chips currently used in Pixel devices and switch to a truly custom chip in 2025.
Anuj Bhatia is a seasoned personal technology writer at indianexpress.com with a career spanning over a decade. Active in the domain since 2011, he has established himself as a distinct voice in tech journalism, specializing in long-form narratives that bridge the gap between complex innovation and consumer lifestyle.
Experience & Career: Anuj has been a key contributor to The Indian Express since late 2016. Prior to his current tenure, he served as a Senior Tech Writer at My Mobile magazine and held a role as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. His professional trajectory reflects a rigorous commitment to technology reporting, backed by a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University.
Expertise & Focus Areas: Anuj’s reporting covers the spectrum of personal technology, characterized by a unique blend of modern analysis and historical context. His key focus areas include:
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Deep-Dive Narratives: Specializes in composing longer-form feature articles and explainers that explore the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture.
Global & Local Scope: Reports extensively on major international product launches from industry titans like Apple and Google, while simultaneously covering the ecosystem of indie and home-grown tech startups.
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Anuj is a trusted voice in the industry, recognized for his ability to de-jargonize trending topics and provide context to rapid technological advancements. His authority is reinforced by his on-ground presence at major international tech conferences and his nuanced approach to product reviews. By balancing coverage of the world's most valuable tech brands with emerging startups, he offers a holistic and objective view of the global technology landscape.
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Google will deploy these chips at its data centre (Image credit: Google Cloud)
