Google ships four TPU variants in one year to rival Nvidia

google introduced two new tpu systems, tpu 8tx and tpu 8i max, built on existing processors. tpu 8tx keeps sensitive data encrypted during processing, while tpu 8i max doubles memory and compute power within the same rack. google aims to lower the barrier for developers and market its hardware to external customers for day-to-day model inference. the expansion is a direct response to google's strategic shift from treating tpus as a purely internal tool to marketing them as a competitive platform for outside customers. google now counts nearly 100 external tpu customers.