Google, despite not selling chips to third-party companies, is a major player in the data center processor business according to a recent report by Tech Insights. The company’s market share is comparable to big chipmakers like Intel and AMD, thanks to its expertise in areas like the semiconductor supply chain and ASIC market.
One of Google’s key innovations in this field is the Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), a custom AI accelerator introduced in 2015. This technology has helped Google surpass its cloud competitors Microsoft and Amazon in terms of market share, with only Nvidia and Intel ahead of Google. Last year, Google shipped two million TPUs to its data centers worldwide, with the release of TPU v4 coinciding with the increase in large language models.
Broadcom, Google’s partner in ASIC design, has likely benefited greatly from the introduction of TPU v4. Google uses TPUs to accelerate internal workloads, while Nvidia GPUs handle cloud computing tasks. In 2023, Google had the largest installed base of AI accelerators and the largest AI computing infrastructure, as reported by The Register.
The company recently unveiled its sixth generation TPU known as trillium, aimed at enhancing AI hypercomputer architecture. Meanwhile, there was a significant inventory correction in the server market last year as cloud hyperscalers invested in new Nvidia AI accelerators and GPUs. Microsoft and Amazon are also working on developing custom AI accelerators, with Azure Cobalt and Graviton processors respectively.
Azure Cobalt and Graviton are both custom Arm-based processors. Google has joined this trend by introducing the Arm-based Axion processor to complement its TPUs. The Arm architecture now accounts for 10% of the world’s servers, with over half of them installed in Amazon’s AWS data centers according to a report from Bernstein Research.
Overall, Google’s position in the data center processor business is strong and poised for growth, especially with the advancements in AI technology driving the demand for custom accelerators and processors. The company’s innovative approach in developing custom chips like TPUs and Axion further solidifies its place among the top players in this competitive market.
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