Recommended Free Tools
iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Bikash Koley says he is leaving Google to join Crux AI as Chief Technology & Product Officer, after more than 16 years across two tenures at Google. Crux is the Google–Blackstone venture announced to offer cloud access to Google TPUs alongside data-center capacity, operations and networking. Its planned scale is not yet proof of live service: Blackstone announced a $5 billion initial equity commitment and a goal of bringing 500 MW online in 2027.
What Koley announced
In a first-person LinkedIn post, Koley said he is leaving Google and joining the Blackstone–Google joint venture Crux AI as Chief Technology & Product Officer. He described his Google career as 16-plus years across two tenures. His post does not give an effective date for the move, and the appointment is supported here by his statement rather than a separate official Crux or Google announcement.
Google identified Koley as VP, Google Global Infrastructure in a May 26, 2026 article about the company’s global and data-center networks. That work is relevant to Crux’s infrastructure focus, but the announcement does not detail which responsibilities or projects, if any, he will take on at the new venture.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →What Crux AI is—and what it plans to offer
Blackstone announced Crux AI on May 18, 2026, as a joint venture with Google. The stated aim is to provide customers another way to access Google Cloud TPUs, alongside the existing Google Cloud route. Blackstone describes the planned offering as data-center capacity, operations, networking and TPU compute as a service. Crux’s own description broadens the proposition to include software management and orchestration, purpose-built silicon and AI systems, custom-designed data centers, and investment in power and infrastructure.
#1 Best Overall
- Built for Local AI Development: AMD Ryzen AI Halo is designed for local AI development and inference, featuring 128GB unified memory and support for up to 200B parameter models to build and run intensive AI workloads locally.
- 128GB Unified Memory: Features 128GB LPDDR5x unified memory at 8000 MT/s with 256 GB/s memory bandwidth, providing a shared memory pool across the CPU, GPU, and NPU to support larger AI models.
- AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 Processor: Features 16 cores, 32 threads, and Zen 5 architecture, paired with AMD Radeon 8060S integrated graphics featuring 40 RDNA 3.5 compute units and an AMD XDNA 2 NPU with up to 50 TOPS.
- Linux AI Developer Platform: Purpose-built for Linux-based AI development with full AMD ROCm software support and preloaded tools, models, and workflows optimized for local AI development.
- Compact, Connected Design: Includes a 2TB M.2 SSD, 10GbE LAN, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C connectivity, and HDMI 2.1b.
That makes Crux more than a name for a new TPU model: it is an infrastructure and service venture intended to make compute capacity available through a separate channel. The announcements do not establish how customers will access it in practice, what service regions it will cover, or how its offering will differ in operational terms from Google Cloud.
Crux’s announced investment and capacity are future plans
Blackstone’s May 18, 2026 announcement set out an initial $5 billion equity commitment and a plan to bring 500 MW online in 2027, with plans to scale significantly beyond that initial phase. These are announced financing and capacity targets, not confirmation that the money has been fully deployed or that the capacity is operating or available to customers.
Rank #2
- EVOLUTION AMD RYZEN AI MAX+ 395 MINI PC - GMKtec EVO-X2 is the next evolution in AI mini PC Ryzen Strix Halo series. Thanks to AMD Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT) the core-count is effectively doubled, to 32 threads. Ryzen AI Max+ 395 has 64 MB of L3 cache and can boost up to 5.1 GHz, depending on the workload. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is currently rated as the "most powerful x86 APU" on the market for AI computing.
- AI NPU with XDNA 2 ARCHITECTURE - Powered by 16 “Zen 5” CPU cores, 50+ peak AI TOPS XDNA 2 NPU and a truly massive integrated GPU driven by 40 AMD RDNA 3.5 CUs, the Ryzen AI MAX+ 395 is a transformative upgrade and delivers a significant performance boost over the competition. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 excels in consumer AI workloads like the llama.cpp-powered application: LM Studio. Shaping up to be the must-have app for client LLM workloads, LM Studio allows users to locally run the latest language model without any technical knowledge required and unleash their creativity and productivity.
- AMD RADEON 8090S iGPU GAMING PC - The AMD Radeon RX 8060S offers all 40 CUs with up to 2.9 GHz graphics clock and uses the new RDNA 3.5 architecture. The powerful iGPU is positioned between an RTX 4060 and 4070 laptop GPU and therefore enables gaming in FHD at maximum details in most demanding games. The 8060S can also utilize the full 64GB pool, which is perfect for running LLMs such as Deepseek 32B, which runs comfortably on this machine.
- EIGHT CHANNEL LPDDR5X - LPDDR5X is a new ground breaking memory small form factor installed on-board. With blazing speeds up to to 8000MT/s, it runs 1.5x faster than the DDR5 SODIMMs; 90% better performance over DDR5 SODIMMs in video conferencing and photo editing; 30% better performance in productivity apps; 4% better performance in digital content workloads.
- QUAD SCREEN 8K DISPLAY SUPPORT - EVO-X2 AI Mini PC support 4-screen 4K/8K output via HDMI 2.1 (8K@60Hz), DisplayPort 1.4 (4K@60Hz), and dual USB 4 40Gbps Transfer speed (supporting PD3.0/DP1.4/DATA). Ideal for gaming, video editing, and multitasking, it provides expansive and crisp multi-display support.
Blackstone also said the venture would give customers another option to access cloud TPUs in addition to using them through Google Cloud. The materials reviewed do not establish customer onboarding dates, pricing, service guarantees, current availability or specific service regions.
How Crux relates to Google Cloud
| Question | Google Cloud | Crux AI, as announced |
|---|---|---|
| Access channel | Google Cloud offers access to Google Cloud TPUs. | A planned additional channel for TPU compute as a service. |
| Infrastructure scope | The cited announcements establish TPU access through Google Cloud; they do not provide a like-for-like scope comparison here. | Blackstone describes data-center capacity, operations and networking alongside TPU compute; Crux also describes software orchestration and purpose-built infrastructure. |
| Availability details | The sources cited for this article do not specify Google Cloud TPU availability terms for comparison. | Customer launch timing, regions, pricing and currently available capacity are not stated in the announcements. |
The distinction is therefore the announced access channel and infrastructure scope—not a verified difference in price, performance or service levels. The available announcements do not support conclusions on those comparisons.
Rank #3
- Intel Core Ultra 9 285 Processor: Newly developed cores deliver ultra-smooth and responsive gameplay. AI accelerators prepare users for the next era of gaming on an AI PC.
- Simplistic Design: Enjoy the latest generation of Windows 11 Home for your everyday needs. *MSI recommends Windows 11 Pro for business use.
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti GPU
- Cool While Gaming: In conjunction with an RGB CPU Air Cooler, the Aegis RS features four system cooling fans; three in the front and one in the rear to pull in cool air and push heat out of the PC.
- Turn on the Bright Lights: With the built-in RGB lighting, take your gaming experience to the next level by pressing the MSI LED button to cycle through lighting options. Customize lighting even further with MSI Center software.
What is known about the TPUs
Google announced TPU 8t and TPU 8i in April 2026, describing them respectively as systems focused on training and on reasoning and inference. That is useful context for Google’s TPU portfolio, but neither Blackstone’s venture announcement nor the TPU announcement says Crux will use either generation. A specific Crux-supported TPU model has not been established.
Why infrastructure experience matters
Google’s May 26, 2026 infrastructure article, which identifies Koley as VP, Google Global Infrastructure, discusses power and facility capacity as constraints for AI infrastructure. It also describes locating data centers near sustainable energy sources and grid capacity. Those considerations help explain why Crux’s plans encompass power, facilities and networking as well as accelerators: TPU capacity depends on the infrastructure needed to house and operate it. The sources do not, however, specify Crux’s sites, energy arrangements or network design.
What remains unconfirmed
- Koley’s effective start date at Crux.
- When customers can sign up or begin using Crux.
- Which regions it will serve, and what pricing or service guarantees will apply.
- Which TPU generation Crux will support.
- How much of the announced investment or 500 MW target has been deployed or is operational.
These details are not established by the cited announcements. The $5 billion commitment and 500 MW target should be read as Blackstone’s May 2026 plans unless a later company update confirms progress.
Quick Recap
Sources
- Bikash Koley’s public LinkedIn post announcing his move and role.
- Blackstone, “Blackstone Announces Joint Venture with Google to Create New TPU Cloud,” May 18, 2026.
- Crux AI, describing its infrastructure approach.
- Google Cloud Blog, “How we evolved Google’s global and data center networks for the AI era,” May 26, 2026.
- Google Cloud Blog, “What’s next in Google AI infrastructure: Scaling for the agentic era,” April 22, 2026.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
