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Google, Intel team up to accelerate enterprise cloud adoption

The strategic alliance will focus on containers, machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), and security.
Written by Stephanie Condon, Senior Writer

Google Cloud is combining its software expertise with Intel's hardware expertise in a move it hopes will lure more enterprises to the cloud. The strategic alliance will focus on containers, machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), and security.

"We've worked closely with Intel for years on datacenter processor technology, and are now expanding our collaboration to help enterprise customers move from legacy infrastructure to an open, secure and future-proof cloud," wrote Nan Boden, head of global technology partnerships for Google Cloud, in a blog post.

First, the companies plan to optimize the open source container management platform Kubernetes for Intel architecture, enhance security, and improve workload capabilities like virtual network performance and prioritization of shared resources. Intel has already collaborated on Kubernetes, enabling enterprises to run OpenStack as a managed Kubernetes workload. With Kubernetes, enterprises can more easily run workloads like emerging AI applications, noted Intel Vice President Raejeanne Skillern in a blog post.

Meanwhile, Google's machine learning system, TensorFlow, will also be optimized for Intel architecture. The move should result in benefits such as improved parallelism and the integration of high-performance libraries into TensorFlow. Initial optimizations will be finished by the first quarter of 2017, Intel said.

Additionally, the companies are working on a secure platform for connecting Intel's IoT edge devices to the Google Cloud Platform. They're also enhancing security integrations between Google Cloud Platform infrastructure and Intel hardware.

The partnership has clear benefits for both companies, as Google strives to prove it's enterprise-ready and Intel continues its ongoing efforts to invest in more forward-looking segments than the PC industry.

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