By By David Ramel10/26/2026
Publication Date: 2026-10-26 00:00:00
Google Builds a Cloud Runtime for AI Agents
Google Cloud has announced Agent Compute Engine, a service designed to give artificial intelligence agents isolated computers for executing code, using tools and carrying out work. The infrastructure already powers Gemini agent workloads, but customer preview access is scheduled for the coming months.
The Oct. 22 announcement also expands Google’s agent governance plans across cloud environments and managed devices. Google described forthcoming controls for local coding agents, cross-cloud policy enforcement, model routing and token consumption, with several gateway additions targeted for preview this quarter.
Agent Compute Engine uses small virtual machines, or microVMs, that can pause while agents wait and resume from snapshots. Copy-on-write memory sharing lets multiple agents use one operating system template, while individual Hyperdisk volumes preserve workspaces and context across sessions.
Separating Agent Decisions From Execution
Google’s technical explanation separates the agent harness, which calls the model and selects actions, from the sandbox that executes commands. The harness remains outside the execution environment, with tool calls and their resulting activity correlated for auditing.
