Google Cloud launches energy-efficient Axion chip to enhance streaming services

Google Cloud, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has unveiled a new chip that could revolutionize technological advancement in the field of streaming services. Spotify Technology and Paramount Global have already opted to use this innovative Axion chip, developed in collaboration with Arm Holdings. It is intended to make the streaming architecture of these partner companies more efficient in the future. The Axion chip is now available as a central processing unit for all Google Cloud customers and competes with conventional offerings from industry giants such as Intel and Advanced Micro Devices. Google is strategically positioning itself in the competition for the favor of software developers. With the Axion chip, Google is following the same path as Amazon.com and Microsoft, who are also adopting Arm-based CPUs. Additionally, Ampere Computing, a startup founded by former Intel executives, sells its chips to Oracle, among others. The key advantage of Arm-based chips lies in their energy efficiency. Google announced that the new product consumes about 60% less energy than conventional CPUs. This saving can, in turn, be invested in other technologies such as artificial intelligence, stated Mark Lohmeyer, Vice President and General Manager for Compute Infrastructure at Google Cloud. Google Cloud has so far used the Axion chip internally for some paid cloud services. The company is now opening its proprietary Arm technology to a wide customer base. Lohmeyer emphasized that Google will focus on its own self-developed Arm-based chips in the future, even though products from Ampere will continue to be supported. The goal is to make the Axion chip the primary choice for customers.