Google has revealed plans to introduce a custom-designed Arm-based server chip in 2024, with the aim of reducing costs associated with cloud computing. This announcement was made during the Cloud Next conference held in Las Vegas, with an anticipated release date set for 2024.
This strategic move by Google mirrors similar initiatives undertaken by its competitors, including Alibaba, Amazon, and Microsoft. By developing a custom Arm-based server chip, Google intends to align itself with industry trends and enhance its competitiveness in the cloud computing market.
The decision to pursue the development of an Arm-based server chip underscores Google’s commitment to innovation and cost optimization in cloud infrastructure. Notably, the company plans to utilize the Axion Arm chips to support YouTube ad workloads once they become available. Additionally, major clients such as Snap have expressed interest in leveraging these chips for their operations.
Despite the fact that Alphabet, Google’s parent company, continues to derive a significant portion of its revenue from advertising, the cloud computing segment has experienced rapid growth and now contributes nearly 11% to the company’s overall revenue. This shift in focus towards cloud services reflects the evolving landscape of the technology industry and the increasing importance of cloud-based solutions.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) paved the way for the adoption of Arm-based chips in cloud computing when it introduced its Graviton Arm chip in 2018. Following suit, Alibaba announced its own Arm processors in 2021, and Microsoft followed suit with its own Arm-based offerings in November of the same year.
Google has previously utilized Arm-based server computers for internal purposes and now plans to extend this technology to cloud-based instances, named Axion. Several prominent companies, including Datadog, Elastic, OpenX, and Snap, have expressed their intention to adopt Axion for their cloud computing needs.
In addition to the potential cost savings associated with Arm-based chips, there are also environmental benefits to consider. The use of Arm-based chips has the potential to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency in data centers. According to Google, the Axion chip offers 30% better performance compared to the fastest general-purpose Arm-based virtual machines available in the cloud, as well as 50% better performance compared to comparable VMs based on x86 architecture.
Overall, Google’s introduction of a custom-designed Arm-based server chip represents a significant development in the cloud computing industry. By leveraging this technology, Google aims to enhance its competitiveness, reduce costs for customers, and contribute to environmental sustainability in data center operations.
