Ironwood is Google’s newest AI accelerator chip
At this week's Cloud Next conference, Google pulled back the curtain on its latest TPU AI accelerator chip, dubbed Ironwood. This seventh-generation marvel marks a significant shift as it's the first TPU specifically tailored for AI model inference. Set to roll out later this year for Google Cloud users, Ironwood will be available in two powerhouse configurations: a 256-chip cluster and a massive 9,216-chip cluster.
Amin Vahdat, Google Cloud VP, shared his excitement in a blog post, saying, "Ironwood is our most powerful, capable, and energy-efficient TPU yet. And it's purpose-built to power thinking, inferential AI models at scale." It's clear that Google is aiming high with this new chip.
The AI accelerator market is heating up, with Nvidia leading the charge, but don't count out the tech giants. Amazon is in the game with its Trainium, Inferentia, and Graviton chips, available through AWS, while Microsoft is pushing forward with Azure instances powered by its Maia 100 AI chip.
Image Credits:Google
According to Google's internal benchmarks, Ironwood packs a punch with 4,614 TFLOPs of peak computing power. Each chip comes equipped with 192GB of dedicated RAM, boasting a bandwidth that's nearing 7.4 Tbps. That's some serious firepower!
Ironwood isn't just about brute force; it's smart, too. It features an advanced core called SparseCore, designed to handle the kind of data you'd see in sophisticated ranking and recommendation systems—like those that suggest what clothes might catch your eye. Google's engineers have also worked to reduce data movement and latency within the chip, which should translate to significant energy savings.
Looking ahead, Google plans to weave Ironwood into its AI Hypercomputer, a modular computing cluster within Google Cloud. This integration is on the horizon, and Vahdat is confident, stating, "Ironwood represents a unique breakthrough in the age of inference, with increased computation power, memory capacity, networking advancements, and reliability."
Updated 10:45 a.m. Pacific: A previous version of this story mistakenly referred to Microsoft’s Cobalt 100 as an AI chip. It's actually a general-purpose chip; the correct AI chip from Microsoft is the Maia 100. We've made the necessary correction.
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Comments (7)
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![DouglasScott]()
DouglasScott
August 4, 2025 at 2:48:52 AM EDT
Ironwood sounds like a beast for AI inference! Google’s really stepping up their game, but I wonder how it stacks against Nvidia’s chips. Excited to see real-world benchmarks! 🚀
0
![KeithNelson]()
KeithNelson
August 4, 2025 at 2:48:52 AM EDT
Google's Ironwood chip sounds like a game-changer for AI inference! Excited to see how it stacks up against Nvidia's offerings. 🚀
0
![BrianWalker]()
BrianWalker
April 23, 2025 at 1:13:10 PM EDT
GoogleのIronwoodチップはクールに聞こえますが、私の日常のAI使用がどのように変わるかはわかりません。推論に特化しているんですよね？Google Cloudに登場したらどうなるか見てみましょう。期待しています！🤞
0
![AnthonyPerez]()
AnthonyPerez
April 22, 2025 at 9:08:12 PM EDT
El chip Ironwood de Google suena genial, pero no estoy seguro de cómo cambiará mi uso diario de IA. Es todo sobre inferencia, ¿verdad? Supongo que veremos cuando llegue a Google Cloud. ¡Crucemos los dedos para que valga la pena el hype! 🤞
0
![GregoryAllen]()
GregoryAllen
April 18, 2025 at 12:03:09 AM EDT
Google's Ironwood chip sounds cool, but I'm not sure how it'll change my daily AI use. It's all about inference, right? I guess we'll see when it hits Google Cloud. Fingers crossed it's worth the hype! 🤞
0
![EricNelson]()
EricNelson
April 16, 2025 at 2:08:12 PM EDT
O chip Ironwood do Google parece legal, mas não tenho certeza de como vai mudar meu uso diário de IA. É tudo sobre inferência, certo? Acho que vamos ver quando chegar ao Google Cloud. Cruzando os dedos para que valha o hype! 🤞
0
At this week's Cloud Next conference, Google pulled back the curtain on its latest TPU AI accelerator chip, dubbed Ironwood. This seventh-generation marvel marks a significant shift as it's the first TPU specifically tailored for AI model inference. Set to roll out later this year for Google Cloud users, Ironwood will be available in two powerhouse configurations: a 256-chip cluster and a massive 9,216-chip cluster.
Amin Vahdat, Google Cloud VP, shared his excitement in a blog post, saying, "Ironwood is our most powerful, capable, and energy-efficient TPU yet. And it's purpose-built to power thinking, inferential AI models at scale." It's clear that Google is aiming high with this new chip.
The AI accelerator market is heating up, with Nvidia leading the charge, but don't count out the tech giants. Amazon is in the game with its Trainium, Inferentia, and Graviton chips, available through AWS, while Microsoft is pushing forward with Azure instances powered by its Maia 100 AI chip.
According to Google's internal benchmarks, Ironwood packs a punch with 4,614 TFLOPs of peak computing power. Each chip comes equipped with 192GB of dedicated RAM, boasting a bandwidth that's nearing 7.4 Tbps. That's some serious firepower!
Ironwood isn't just about brute force; it's smart, too. It features an advanced core called SparseCore, designed to handle the kind of data you'd see in sophisticated ranking and recommendation systems—like those that suggest what clothes might catch your eye. Google's engineers have also worked to reduce data movement and latency within the chip, which should translate to significant energy savings.
Looking ahead, Google plans to weave Ironwood into its AI Hypercomputer, a modular computing cluster within Google Cloud. This integration is on the horizon, and Vahdat is confident, stating, "Ironwood represents a unique breakthrough in the age of inference, with increased computation power, memory capacity, networking advancements, and reliability."
Updated 10:45 a.m. Pacific: A previous version of this story mistakenly referred to Microsoft’s Cobalt 100 as an AI chip. It's actually a general-purpose chip; the correct AI chip from Microsoft is the Maia 100. We've made the necessary correction.
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Google's Gemini app adds real-time AI video, Deep Research, and new features (120 chars)
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August 4, 2025 at 2:48:52 AM EDT
Ironwood sounds like a beast for AI inference! Google’s really stepping up their game, but I wonder how it stacks against Nvidia’s chips. Excited to see real-world benchmarks! 🚀
0
August 4, 2025 at 2:48:52 AM EDT
Google's Ironwood chip sounds like a game-changer for AI inference! Excited to see how it stacks up against Nvidia's offerings. 🚀
0
April 23, 2025 at 1:13:10 PM EDT
GoogleのIronwoodチップはクールに聞こえますが、私の日常のAI使用がどのように変わるかはわかりません。推論に特化しているんですよね？Google Cloudに登場したらどうなるか見てみましょう。期待しています！🤞
0
April 22, 2025 at 9:08:12 PM EDT
El chip Ironwood de Google suena genial, pero no estoy seguro de cómo cambiará mi uso diario de IA. Es todo sobre inferencia, ¿verdad? Supongo que veremos cuando llegue a Google Cloud. ¡Crucemos los dedos para que valga la pena el hype! 🤞
0
April 18, 2025 at 12:03:09 AM EDT
Google's Ironwood chip sounds cool, but I'm not sure how it'll change my daily AI use. It's all about inference, right? I guess we'll see when it hits Google Cloud. Fingers crossed it's worth the hype! 🤞
0
April 16, 2025 at 2:08:12 PM EDT
O chip Ironwood do Google parece legal, mas não tenho certeza de como vai mudar meu uso diário de IA. É tudo sobre inferência, certo? Acho que vamos ver quando chegar ao Google Cloud. Cruzando os dedos para que valha o hype! 🤞
0
