Google is reportedly in discussions with the U.S. Department of Defense to allow the Pentagon to use its Gemini AI models for classified purposes. According to The Information, these talks suggest a significant deepening of ties between the search giant and the military.
Google’s custom AI chips (TPUs) are the key to the potential Pentagon deal
Google’s Distributed Cloud already holds high-level security clearances. However, its actual computing power for classified tasks remains limited. To solve this, the negotiations reportedly include plans to install racks of GPUs and, for the first time, Google’s custom Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) within classified environments. These custom chips are the backbone of Gemini’s training and performance. So, their deployment would allow the military to run AI workloads at a much larger scale than previously possible.
The ethical red lines
One of the most delicate parts of these negotiations involves how the AI can—and cannot—be used. Google is reportedly proposing contract language that would prohibit the use of its models for domestic mass surveillance or the development of fully autonomous weapons without human oversight.
These specific restrictions are a recurring point of tension in the industry. Earlier this year, Anthropic faced a public fallout with the Pentagon over similar terms. The whole situation led to the military labeling the startup a “supply chain risk.” Google appears to be aiming for a middle ground, mirroring a deal recently struck by OpenAI that allows for “all lawful purposes” while maintaining certain humanitarian guardrails.
A shift in strategy
This marks a notable strategy shift for Google. Back in 2018, the company famously pulled out of Project Maven—a Pentagon initiative focused on drone imagery—after thousands of employees protested, fearing their work would be used for lethal purposes. Since then, Google has steadily rebuilt its military presence. In 2022, it set a dedicated “Public Sector” division. The tech giant hired veterans and government experts to better compete with rivals like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft, who currently dominate the government cloud market.
Google’s share of the defense cloud market is still pretty small compared to its competitors. A deal like this could help the company to meet its ambitious goal of $6 billion in public sector contracts by 2027.
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