Broadcom's $21B Google TPU Order Signals AI Boom

Now in their seventh generation, TPUs are available to customers through Google Cloud and power many of Google's internal systems, including training and deployment of the Gemini family of models. Google designs the TPU architecture, while Broadcom converts those designs into manufacturable silicon and handles volume production. The relationship mirrors Google's long-standing strategy of controlling key AI hardware design while relying on semiconductor partners for fabrication expertise.

Anthropic, a long-term user of TPUs, recently announced plans to significantly scale its infrastructure. The company intends to deploy one million TPUs, backed by more than one gigawatt of new compute capacity coming online in 2026. This represents one of the largest dedicated AI compute buildouts in the industry.

Several other companies have also confirmed their use of TPUs, including Meta, Cohere, Apple and Ilya Sutskever's new startup, Super Safe Intelligence (SSI). A report from The Information indicates that Meta is evaluating the deployment of TPUs in its data centres starting in 2027. The growing adoption of TPUs stems from their power efficiency and tight optimisation for AI training and inference, creating increasing competitive pressure on NVIDIA's GPU dominance.

Broadcom said it now has five TPU/XPU (custom AI accelerator) customers--with Google and Anthropic named on the call.