Google's Cloud Next conference in Las Vegas this week saw the tech giant unveil a slew of exciting announcements, including its next-generation AI processing chip, Ironwood, and its latest AI model, Gemini 2.5 Flash. However, the most significant takeaway from the event might be the long list of AI startups that have signed on to use Google Cloud, bolstering its position in the AI workload market.

The list of startups includes some of the most watched names in the industry, such as Safe Superintelligence (SSI), founded by OpenAI co-founder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever. Other notable startups on the list include Anysphere, which makes the popular AI-powered code editor Cursor; Hebbia, which uses AI to search large documents and answer questions; and Magic, which is building frontier models to automate coding and research.

Anysphere's Cursor, valued at $10 billion, is using Anthropic's Claude models on Google Cloud, making it a significant win for Google. Hebbia, which has received $130 million in Series B funding, is utilizing Google's Gemini models. Magic, which raised $320 million in 2024, is tapping Google Cloud for GPUs. These partnerships demonstrate Google Cloud's growing appeal to top AI startups.

Other startups on the list include Physical Intelligence, which is developing foundational software for robots and has a who's-who roster of co-founders; Photoroom, a Paris-based AI startup offering AI photo editing; and Synthesia, which is building products that make highly realistic AI avatars. These startups are leveraging various Google models, including Veo 2 video generating and Imagen 3 text-to-image models.

Google Cloud's strategy to attract top AI startups is clear: offer them access to its cutting-edge AI chips and models. The company announced that it has added Lightspeed to its list of VC partners, including Sequoia and Y Combinator. Google Cloud grants portfolio companies from its partner investors access to its AI chips and models, with Lightspeed's AI portfolio companies eligible for $150,000 in cloud credits.

The implications of these partnerships are significant. Google Cloud is positioning itself as a go-to destination for AI workloads, directly competing with Microsoft Azure and, to a lesser extent, AWS. By offering top AI startups access to its advanced technology, Google Cloud is building a robust ecosystem that will drive innovation and growth in the AI space.

In addition to the startups mentioned above, Google Cloud also showcased several other AI startups, including Augment Code, Autoscience, Big Sur AI, Captions, Eon.io, Fal.is, Spot AI, Story, Studyhall AI, Ubie, Udio, Ufonia, Wagestream, and Wondercraft. These startups are working on a wide range of AI applications, from scientific research to music creation and healthcare symptom analysis.

As the AI landscape continues to evolve, Google Cloud's aggressive push into the market is likely to have a significant impact on the industry. With its advanced technology and growing list of top AI startups, Google Cloud is well-positioned to drive innovation and growth in the AI space.