Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has introduced its latest artificial intelligence model, Gemini, marking a significant leap in AI capabilities. Gemini is designed to process diverse forms of information, including video, audio, and text, showcasing more sophisticated reasoning and nuanced understanding compared to its predecessors.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai emphasized the magnitude of this development, describing it as one of the company’s most substantial science and engineering endeavors. The move comes as part of Alphabet’s ongoing efforts to rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which was launched approximately a year ago with notable success.
Gemini’s technology has already been incorporated into Alphabet’s AI assistant Bard, offering users an early glimpse of its potential. The company plans to release the most advanced version of the AI model through Bard in the early months of the year. Alphabet has crafted three versions of Gemini, each tailored to leverage varying levels of processing power. The most potent iteration is optimized for data center deployment, while the smallest is engineered for efficient operation on mobile devices.
Gemini is the largest AI model produced by Alphabet’s Google DeepMind AI unit. Notably, it is described as “significantly” more cost-effective than its predecessors, making it more accessible to users. According to Eli Collins, Vice President of products at Google DeepMind, Gemini enhances capabilities and achieves greater efficiency despite requiring substantial computing power for training.
In tandem with Gemini, Alphabet has introduced a new generation of custom-built AI chips known as tensor processing units (TPUs). The Cloud TPU v5p, designed for training large AI models, is constructed in pods comprising 8,960 chips. This latest iteration of customer processors can train large language models nearly three times faster than previous generations.
The Cloud TPU v5p is already available for developers in a “preview” phase, reflecting Alphabet’s commitment to advancing AI infrastructure alongside breakthrough models like Gemini. As the AI landscape evolves, Alphabet’s latest offerings underscore its dedication to staying at the forefront of artificial intelligence research and development.
