Google Cloud Next 2023 Preview: AI, GCP And Thomas Kurian

Here’s what Google partners and attendees can expect at Google Cloud Next 2023 in San Francisco this month, from keynotes to product announcements.

Thousands of Google customers, partners, developers and top executives will flock to San Francisco this month for the Google Cloud Next 2023 conference. The in-person event comes as Google Cloud enters its profitability era following a record sales quarter of over $8 billion captured during Q2 2023.

From Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian’s keynote to possibly new product launches around Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Workspace and generative AI—the highly anticipated Google Cloud Next 2023 conference is guaranteed to make headlines across the IT industry.

Google Cloud Next 2023 runs from Aug. 29-31 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. There is also a digital pass available for people to attend virtually to watch all the keynotes and breakout sessions.

Possible Google Cloud Next Launches

At Google Cloud Next 2022, the Mountain View, Calif.-based cloud giant unleashed a slew of new offerings around Workspace, BigQuery, virtual machines, security and a partner delivery program.

However, generative AI was not top of mind for Google Cloud during last year’s event.

Google said its keynote sessions will share insights about “the future of AI, Cloud, Collaboration and announce a new wave of product and feature innovations.”

This means attendees can likely expect new launches or features to GCP, Google’s flagship collaboration suite Workspace—which includes Google Docs, Gmail, Chat, Sheets and Slides—as well as around AI.

Generative AI Workshops And Badges

At Google Cloud Next 2023, the cloud computing company will provide training workshops for generative AI around how to create new products and services.

For example, attendees can join an introductory workshop to learn about prompt design and various text generation use vases using Google’s Vertex AI PaLM API.

Additionally, people can earn the new Google Cloud Generative AI Fundamentals skills badge during the conference.

Google is also hosting a 90-minute course to get introduced to Vertex AI and explore the phases of machine learning workflow in Vertex AI. At the end of the course, people can practice building a ML model with AutoML in a live lab environment.

Attendees can engage with Google AI experts, take practical hands-on labs and experience actual AI use case demonstrations during the conference.

Thomas Kurian’s Keynote

The biggest keynote of Google Cloud Next 2023 will take place the morning of Aug. 29 where CEO Kurian will officially kick-off the event.

Kurian’s keynote will highlight news about the latest breakthroughs in AI and how to build for this new era of transformation. Joined by customers, partners and Google Cloud experts, he’ll also highlight real-life cloud success stories across customer and partner ecosystems covering security, data, analytics, and more.

Other leaders who will be on-stage during Kurian’s keynote include: Kevin Mandia, CEO of Mandiant for Google Cloud; Aparna Pappu, general manager and vice president of Workspace; and Brad Calder, vice president and general manager of Google Cloud Platform and Technical Infrastructure.

On day two of Google Cloud Next, there will be a developer keynote where Google executives will conduct demos and explain real-world use cases on the latest features and practices that can unlock a “new way to cloud,” Google said.

Other Likely Google Next 2023 Announcements

One relatively new staple to large technology events is a focus on sustainability.

There is a growing emphasis on environmental responsibility, renewable energy and sustainability at Google which may lead to an announcement at Google Cloud Next around reducing the carbon footprint of its cloud infrastructure.

Additionally, Google Cloud’s flagship event is usually filled with new partnership announcements with independent software vendors (ISVs) and enhanced channel go-to-market relationships.

Overall, Google Cloud Next 2023 will include several keynotes, dozens of technical sessions, and a big opportunity for in-person networking and collaboration.

Google said its conference this year is “where decision makers, developers, and anyone passionate about an accessible, scalable, socially responsible cloud come together to share challenges, solutions, 10x ideas, and game-changing technologies.”