Google expands AI footprint with TPU growth and Gemini 3.5 launch

Google is expanding its artificial intelligence footprint through significant hardware and software developments. Estimates suggest the company’s Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) shipments could reach between 5 million and 9.87 million units by 2027, a substantial increase from previous projections. To support this growth, Google has ordered over 3 million TPUs from Intel Foundry, while continuing to use TSMC as a primary manufacturing partner.

On the software side, Google has launched Gemini 3.5, a new speech-to-text AI model designed to enhance its AI portfolio. While market analysts note that Anthropic currently maintains a high level of market confidence, Google’s recent advancements and infrastructure investments aim to improve its competitive standing in the AI sector by 2026.

Demand for Google’s AI infrastructure is also being driven by external partners. Anthropic has secured an agreement for approximately 3.5 gigawatts of TPU capacity starting in 2027. Additionally, a new partnership with Blackstone is expected to extend Google’s AI infrastructure reach into institutional and enterprise markets.