Tag: Google

The newly introduced continuous checkpointing feature in Orbax and MaxText is designed to optimize the balance between reliability and performance during model training, addressing issues with conventional fixed-frequency checkpointing. Unlike fixed intervals—which can either compromise reliability or bottleneck performance—continuous checkpointing maximizes I/O bandwidth and minimizes failure risk by asynchronously initiating a new save operation only after the previous one successfully completes. Benchmarks demonstrate that this approach significantly reduces checkpoint intervals and results in substantial resource conservation, especially in large-scale training jobs where mean-time-between-failure (MTBF) is short.

Wednesday Build Hour is a weekly, interactive "technical gym session" led by Google Cloud experts to help developers and architects sharpen their cloud skills. Moving beyond passive slide decks, the program focuses on hands-on building, covering advanced topics like AI agents, Vertex AI, and developer productivity tools. Each hour-long session is designed to provide tangible results that participants can immediately deploy into their own workflows. It serves as a consistent, dedicated space for builders to stay ahead of the curve and connect with a community of cloud engineers.

Google I/O returns May 19-20. Watch the livestreams for updates on Android, AI, Chrome, and Cloud. Registration is open on the Google I/O website.

The Android XR team is using Gemini's Canvas feature to make creating immersive extended reality (XR) experiences more accessible. This allows developers to rapidly prototype interactive 3D environments and models on a Samsung Galaxy XR headset using simple creative prompts.

Google has introduced FunctionGemma, a specialized 270M parameter model designed to bring efficient, action-oriented AI experiences directly to mobile devices through on-device function calling. By leveraging Google AI Edge and LiteRT-LM, the model enables complex tasks—such as managing calendars, controlling device hardware, or executing specific game logic in the "Tiny Garden" demo—to be performed entirely offline with high speed and low latency. Available for testing in the Google AI Edge Gallery app on both Android and iOS, FunctionGemma allows developers to move beyond simple text generation toward building responsive, "agentic" applications that interact seamlessly with the physical and digital world without relying on cloud processing.

Agent Development Kit (ADK) now supports a robust ecosystem of third-party tools and integrations. Connect your agents to GitHub, Notion, Hugging Face, and more to build capable, real-world applications.

Google I/O 2026 is returning May 19-20 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA. But before the keynotes begin, you can get into the spirit of the event with our annual tradition: the save the date puzzle. This year's experience highlights how AI can empower and accelerate

While keynotes are available online, Google Cloud Next '26 in Las Vegas offers an irreplaceable in-person experience centered on networking, hands-on problem solving, and the transition to agentic AI. The event features specialized technical tracks covering everything from Gemini multimodal breakthroughs to zero-trust security on Cloud Run, providing developers with the tools to balance individual speed with organizational stability. Beyond formal sessions, the "in-person advantage" lies in over 20 developer meetups and collaborative whiteboard sessions designed to foster serendipitous breakthroughs. Ultimately, the conference serves as a high-energy hub for engineers to move beyond the hype and master the modern building blocks of software architecture together.

Google has officially launched LiteRT, the successor to TFLite, which offers significantly faster GPU and NPU acceleration alongside seamless support for PyTorch and JAX. The update also introduces lower-precision data type support for increased efficiency and a commitment to more frequent security and dependency updates across the TensorFlow ecosystem. This transition solidifies LiteRT as Google's primary high-performance framework for deploying GenAI and advanced on-device inference.

The Gemini Code Assist team has introduced a suite of updates focused on streamlining the core coding workflow through high-velocity tools like Agent Mode with Auto Approve and Inline Diff Views. These enhancements, along with new features for precise context management and custom commands, aim to transform the AI from a general assistant into a highly tailored, seamless collaborator that adapts to your specific development style.