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  • Google expands AI chip footprint, unveils 8th-gen TPUs for training and inference

Apr 23, 2026

Google expands AI chip footprint, unveils 8th-gen TPUs for training and inference

Bay Area Times
Bay Area Times
Google expands AI chip footprint, unveils 8th-gen TPUs for training and inference

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Top stories today:

  1. Google expands AI chip footprint, unveils 8th-gen TPUs
  2. OpenAI launches workspace agents in ChatGPT for teams
  3. Alibaba’s Qwen3.6-27B open-weight AI model debuts
  4. DeepSeek eyed by Tencent, Alibaba for investment at $20B+ valuation
  5. SpaceX/xAI holds talks with Mistral on 3-way partnership with Cursor
  6. Tesla Q1 revenue +16% YoY, more affordable Model Y, 3 trims confirmed

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0. Data and calendar

All values as of 6 AM ET / 3 AM PT, other than S&P500 and NASDAQ close (4 PM ET / 1 PM PT).

All times are ET.

Listen to our AI-generated podcast summarizing today’s newsletter (beware of hallucinations):

1. Google expands AI chip footprint, unveils 8th-gen TPUs for training and inference

The TPU 8t is tailored for training, while 8i is designed for inference:

Google.

  • The 8t can scale up to clusters of 9.6K chips.

    • Delivers 124% higher performance per watt vs. the prior generation.

  • TPU 8i delivers a 117% performance gain vs. last-gen.

  • Later this year: the AI chips will be generally available.

Google also introduced the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform to manage AI agent lifecycles

Google.

  • Offers access to 200+ models, including from Anthropic.

  • Workspace Intelligence adds Gemini’s reasoning to Workspace apps.

  • Google Cloud and Wiz debuted AI security agents to counter automated zero-day exploits.

  • Mira Murati’s TML said to sign Google Cloud deal worth billions for AI systems access.

  • AI now generates 75% of new code at Google, up from 50% last fall.

2. Attio: The AI CRM Built for Modern Businesses*

Attio.

  • Attio is the AI CRM for modern businesses

  • Ask Attio anything: prep for calls, update records, spot deals at risk

  • Over 4,000 startups, including Granola, Wispr Flow, and Lightdash, already use Attio.

*Sponsored.

3. OpenAI launches workspace agents in ChatGPT, letting teams build shared tools

OpenAI.

  • Once built, these can be used in ChatGPT or Slack.

  • Workspace agents are an evolution of GPTs, OpenAI said.

  • Agents can pull context from docs, email, chats, and systems, and take approved actions like creating docs or sending messages.

  • GPTs will remain available during testing, with tools coming soon to convert them into workspace agents.

  • Available in research preview for ChatGPT Business, Enterprise, Edu and Teachers plans.

Separately, OpenAI has released Privacy Filter, a small open-weight model for masking PIIs in text

OpenAI.

  • 1.5B parameters, with 50M active.

  • Apache 2.0 licensed.

  • Available via Hugging Face and GitHub.

GPT-5.5 is expected to be launched today as more intelligent pretrained models, relying less on reasoning

Polymarket.

  • Models are becoming more intelligent with less reliance on reasoning, as reportedly shown by OpenAI’s Spud and Anthropic’s Mythos.

4. Why Microsoft customers love Slack*

Slack.

  • Stop swapping between tools. 150,000+ Microsoft customers use Slack to connect every tool and automate workflows.

  • Watch the demo to see integrations with Office and SharePoint, AI-powered automation, and no-code search.

  • Benefit from an open ecosystem with 2,600+ apps that puts AI at the center of collaboration.

Watch now

*Sponsored.

5. Alibaba’s Qwen3.6-27B open-weight AI model debuts with improved coding performance

Qwen3.6-27B delivered competitive results vs. Gemma4-31B and Claude Opus 4.5 on early benchmarks:

Alibaba.

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