Google Cloud adds OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra, Sol, Luna

Google Cloud's decision to host OpenAI's models puts it in the unusual position of selling access to a competitor's technology. The body notes a recurring tension at Google: compute capacity spent serving cloud customers strengthens the biggest rivals of its own Gemini team. That resource conflict reportedly even pushed two-billion-dollar researcher Noam Shazeer back to OpenAI, illustrating how the cloud business and the Gemini team can pull in opposite directions.

The three OpenAI models are positioned to cover different needs: GPT-6 Astra for demanding tasks like coding and research, GPT-6.1 Sol as a cheaper alternative with similar performance, and GPT-6 Luna as a fast, cost-efficient option for everyday use. By offering them alongside Gemini and Claude, Google Cloud becomes the only major provider with all three, which may appeal to enterprises that want to avoid managing multiple cloud vendors.

The private preview is limited to select enterprise customers, with sign-ups open now. The models will also appear in Gemini for Business and Google Antigravity, and all charges run through a single Google Cloud bill and count toward existing contracts. Google says customer data won't be used for training.