Google turns to AMD for security-focused TPU system

Google Cloud unveiled the TPU 8tx and TPU 8i MAX, expanding its 8th-generation accelerator lineup to four products as demand grows for hardware tailored to AI agents. The TPU 8tx uses AMD’s 5th-generation EPYC processors, code-named Turin, to coordinate data movement and processing. The pairing brings hardware-based confidential computing to Cloud TPUs for the first time.

Security is central to the collaboration. The TPU 8tx supports small-scale training and inference while protecting sensitive data through built-in hardware features. AMD said the system combines EPYC performance, AMD Infinity Guard security and x86 software compatibility with Google’s accelerators. Google Cloud said customers deploying agents need confidence that their data remains protected. The separate TPU 8i MAX links two TPU 8i chips and delivers twice the computing performance and memory bandwidth of the TPU 8i.

The AMD partnership departs from Google’s recent emphasis on pairing TPUs with its own Arm-based Axion CPUs. That strategy aimed to reduce reliance on Nvidia GPUs and Intel CPUs across its servers. The latest collaboration highlights security as a factor in Google’s hardware choices and gives AMD another foothold as it challenges Intel in the server CPU market.