Google Launches Two New AI Chips, Eyes Nvidia

Google Cloud unveiled its eighth-generation TPU chips, split into two specialized versions: the TPU 8t for model training and the TPU 8i for inference. Google claims up to 3x faster training, 80% better performance per dollar, and clusters of over 1 million chips working together. Despite the launch, Google is not replacing Nvidia — it still plans to offer Nvidia's latest Vera Rubin chip later this year and is even collaborating with Nvidia to improve networking efficiency in its cloud infrastructure. Analysts remain skeptical that custom TPUs will meaningfully dent Nvidia's dominance anytime soon.