Google Cloud Next ’24: Google Distributed Cloud gets new AI models, several platform and security enhancements

Google Distributed Cloud (GDC) is getting support for AI models like Llama and Gemma alongwith some security and platform enhancements. Here's a quick look at the new features.

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Google Distributed Cloud can now leverage the power of AI models like Gemma and Llama. (Express Photo)

Google Distributed Cloud, the company’s suite of cloud products designed to support the deployment of public cloud services is getting support for some new AI models along with several security and performance enhancements.

At the Google Cloud Next ’24 event, the company announced that GDC now supports open AI models like Llama and Gemma, which enhances generative AI search solutions powered features like on-premise data retrieval and natural language search using the Gemma 7B model. It uses Vertex AI for LLM services and a pre-trained API that involves speech-to-text, translation and OCR capabilities. The solution will be available in preview sometime in Q2 2024

Apart from LLMs, Google Distributed Cloud also brings some security improvements across the board. The company says GDC architecture now prioritises sensitive applications while complying with regulations. Google said that GDC now meets ISO27001 and SOC2 compliance certifications and has introduced a new Intrusion Detection and Prevention Solution that integrates Palo Alto Networks threat prevention technology with the GDC architecture.

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The company also introduced a new GDC Sandbox, a managed experience that can be used by developers to build and test services without having to navigate the air gap and physical hardware. Irrespective of your computing needs, GDC storage can now help you support large analytics or AI workloads and lets you choose between block, file and object storage. Also, customers can now build AI and modern applications at the locations of their choice.

Support for Apigee, the company’s leading API management solution is also coming to GDC. It will enable users to manage and secure APIs depending on your AI workloads. Google also introduced Managed GDC providers or those who sell GDC as a managed service to end users with partners like Clarence, T-systems and WWT are already delivering these solutions.

With the new Google Cloud Ready – Distributed Cloud badge, customers can now securely identify software vendors. Some companies that are already on board include Canonical, Elastic, CIQ, Palo Alto Networks, MongoDB and Starbust.

The tech giant said they will continue their partnership with NVIDIA to offer the latest GPUs to run AI workloads. It also announced the availability of a new energy-efficient NVIDIA L4 Tensor Core GPU, a single server that can also be deployed as a standalone appliance.