The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Google Cloud Next ’24 took place in Las Vegas in April 2024. Google’s central announcements covered Gemini and Vertex AI, cloud computing infrastructure, Workspace, security assistance, and data services. The rollout status varied: some products were generally available, while others were in public preview, private preview, preview, or planned for a later release.
Google said it announced 218 items at the event; that is the company’s count, not an independent tally. Here are the announcements most likely to matter to developers, cloud teams, security professionals, data teams, and Workspace users, with availability described as announced in April 2024.
Gemini models and Vertex AI
Gemini 1.5 Pro entered public preview
Google announced public preview of Gemini 1.5 Pro for Vertex AI customers and developers. Google described the model as supporting a one-million-token context window and multimodal input spanning audio, video, text, and code. Those are Google’s announcement-time claims, not independent benchmark results. The event materials did not provide a neutral head-to-head model evaluation.
Google also discussed CodeGemma and ways to ground generative AI responses in Google Search and enterprise data. Grounding connects model responses to selected information sources; it does not guarantee that generated answers will always be correct.
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- Alexa can show you more - Echo Show 5 includes a 5.5” display so you can see news and weather at a glance, make video calls, view compatible cameras, stream music and shows, and more.
- Small size, bigger sound – Stream your favorite music, shows, podcasts, and more from providers like Amazon Music, Spotify, and Prime Video—now with deeper bass and clearer vocals. Includes a 5.5" display so you can view shows, song titles, and more at a glance.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart devices like lights and thermostats, even while you're away.
- See more with the built-in camera – Check in on your family, pets, and more using the built-in camera. Drop in on your home when you're out or view the front door from your Echo Show 5 with compatible video doorbells.
- See your photos on display – When not in use, set the background to a rotating slideshow of your favorite photos. Invite family and friends to share photos to your Echo Show. Prime members also get unlimited cloud photo storage.
Vertex AI development tools
Google’s day-one recap named Vertex AI Agent Builder, Prompt Management, and evaluation tools. Agent Builder was presented as a way to combine Vertex AI Search and Conversation with tools for building enterprise generative AI experiences. The recap also described capabilities for developing and evaluating generative AI applications; these descriptions reflect the event, not a claim about their current status.
Cloud computing, chips, and infrastructure
Cloud TPU v5p became generally available
Google announced general availability of Cloud TPU v5p and claimed it delivered four times the compute power of its previous generation. The comparison is Google’s own announcement claim. TPU v5p was a Google Cloud infrastructure offering, not a consumer chip for individual purchase.
Axion and GPU-backed cloud services
Google introduced Axion, which it described as its first custom Arm-based CPU for data centers. The other named infrastructure announcements included A3 Mega virtual machines powered by NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs and Hyperdisk ML storage. Google also highlighted software work involving JetStream, JAX, and PyTorch/XLA. These announcements concerned infrastructure accessed through Google Cloud, rather than retail processors or graphics cards.
Rank #2
- Alexa can show you more - Echo Show 5 includes a 5.5” display so you can see news and weather at a glance, make video calls, view compatible cameras, stream music and shows, and more.
- Small size, bigger sound – Stream your favorite music, shows, podcasts, and more from providers like Amazon Music, Spotify, and Prime Video—now with deeper bass and clearer vocals. Includes a 5.5" display so you can view shows, song titles, and more at a glance.
- Keep your home comfortable – Control compatible smart devices like lights and thermostats, even while you're away.
- See more with the built-in camera – Check in on your family, pets, and more using the built-in camera. Drop in on your home when you're out or view the front door from your Echo Show 5 with compatible video doorbells.
- See your photos on display – When not in use, set the background to a rotating slideshow of your favorite photos. Invite family and friends to share photos to your Echo Show. Prime members also get unlimited cloud photo storage.
Google Workspace announcements
Google Vids
Google announced Vids, an AI-powered work video creation application intended to sit alongside Docs, Sheets, and Slides. The event presented it as an all-in-one tool for creating work videos.
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Gemini features for Gmail, Meet, and Chat
Google described Gemini enhancements across Gmail, Meet, and Chat. At the time, Google listed an AI Meetings and Messaging add-on at $10 per user per month. That was the price announced for the add-on in April 2024, not a statement of current pricing. “Take notes for me” was described as being in preview, while “Translate for me” was described as coming in June 2024.
In its April 16 post-event recap, Google said translated-caption support had been added for 52 new languages, bringing the total to 69. That is a post-event update about the rollout at that time, not a current feature-availability guide.
Rank #3
- Google Nest Hub 1st Gen H1A – 7-inch smart display with Google Assistant built in for hands-free help, smart home control, entertainment, and daily organization.
- Korean Spec Model – International/Korean version of the Google Nest Hub H1A. Language can be changed to English after setup through the Google Home app/device settings.
- Smart Home Control – Use voice commands or the touchscreen to control compatible smart lights, cameras, thermostats, plugs, speakers, and other Google Assistant devices.
- Entertainment & Daily Help – Stream music, watch videos, view Google Photos, check weather, set timers, manage reminders, follow recipes, and get answers hands-free.
- Compact 7" Display Design – Great for kitchens, bedrooms, desks, offices, counters, and nightstands with a clean modern smart display design.
AI assistance for developers, cloud teams, and security
Code and cloud operations
Google announced Gemini Code Assist as a tool for generating and testing code. It also said Gemini 1.5 Pro was in private preview for deeper context in Code Assist. Gemini Cloud Assist was among the other announced additions, aimed at assisting cloud teams in their workflows.
Security and other cloud workflows
Google described Gemini in Threat Intelligence as being in preview and intended to help users examine threat actors and malicious code. Its day-one recap also named Gemini in Security, Gemini in Databases, Gemini in BigQuery, and Gemini in Looker. These were a collection of AI assistance features integrated into different Google Cloud workflows, not one single standalone launch.
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Connecting model responses to business information
Google said Vertex AI customers could ground model responses in Google Search or enterprise sources, including applications such as Workday and Salesforce and Google Cloud databases such as BigQuery. The announcement framed grounding as a way to connect generated responses to information a business uses; it should not be read as a guarantee of accuracy.
Database and analytics announcements
Google’s day-one recap linked the data theme to AlloyDB AI vector capabilities, Firestore vector search, BigQuery Omni, and a natural-language data canvas. The canvas was presented as a way to work with data using natural language. The event recap grouped these announcements across databases, analytics, and data exploration rather than presenting them as one product.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Google said about Cloud and AI adoption
Google used the event to make several scale and adoption claims. They are company-reported figures from April 2024, not independent measures:
- Google said Google Cloud had reached a $36 billion annual revenue run rate in Q4, describing that as five times the run rate five years earlier.
- Google said more than 60% of funded generative AI startups and nearly 90% of generative AI unicorns were Google Cloud customers.
- Google said more than one million developers were using its generative AI across tools including AI Studio and Vertex AI.
- Google’s April 16 recap said tens of thousands attended Next ’24 and more than 300 customers and partners shared generative AI successes at the event.
In Google’s April 10 day-one recap, CEO Sundar Pichai said: “Last summer, we were just beginning to imagine how this technology could transform businesses, and today, that transformation is well underway.”
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- BUNDLE INCLUDES: Google Nest Hub Max with English, Spanish, French, Japanese and Global Language Compatibility so it works everywhere, Universal Power Adapter and Quick Start Guide with International Manual for Global Users
- IT WORKS EVERYWHERE Easy to use and will automatically start up in English when connecting to your device for the first time. The Nest Hub works globally with support for most languages and places internationally. And its language settings can always be changed back and forth to your preferred language anytime for international use or travel at your convenience
- BLENDS RIGHT INTO YOUR HOME Looks great on a nightstand, shelf, countertop - or the wall. This Nest Hub is small and mighty with bright sound that kicks! It plugs into the wall and is powered by the global ac adapter that works internationally so it works in outlets everywhere
How to interpret the announcements
The most useful way to compare the announcements is by product area and announcement-time status. “Generally available” meant Google said customers could use the service broadly; “public preview,” “private preview,” and “preview” marked earlier rollout stages, while “coming in June” indicated a planned later release. These labels describe what Google said in April 2024 and should not be treated as current availability.
The event’s major themes were AI models and development tools, compute infrastructure, integrated assistance for cloud and security work, Workspace features, and data services. Google’s roundup is the place to check for its full list of 218 announced items; the categories here cover the main themes rather than every individual entry.
Quick Recap
Official Google sources
- Google Cloud Next ’24 announcement roundup
- Google’s April 9 briefing
- Google’s April 10 day-one recap
- Google’s April 16 post-event recap
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