**Palo Alto Networks Inks Multibillion-Dollar AI Deal with Google Cloud**
Today, Palo Alto Networks Inc. announced a groundbreaking partnership with Google LLC's cloud platform, marking a significant milestone in the world of artificial intelligence (AI). The cybersecurity provider will migrate some of its most critical internal workloads to Google Cloud, solidifying their commitment to harnessing the power of AI.
The deal, valued at nearly $10 billion according to Reuters, is a testament to the growing importance of cloud computing and AI in modern business. This partnership builds on earlier collaborations between tech giants, including Google's reported multibillion-dollar contract with Meta Platforms Inc. to run AI workloads on its platform.
At the heart of this agreement lies the emphasis on AI. Palo Alto Networks will leverage Google's Gemini series of large language models (LLMs) to power the AI agents integrated into their products. These AI agents can identify vulnerabilities in cloud applications, troubleshoot network bottlenecks, and perform a range of related tasks.
Google Cloud's Vertex AI Platform offers access to these LLMs through its comprehensive suite of tools optimized for AI projects. Once an application exits the development phase, companies can use Vertex to monitor output for accuracy issues, ensuring seamless integration with existing workflows.
Palo Alto Networks will not only adopt Vertex internally but also extend this partnership to customers, securing their own Vertex-powered workloads through the Prisma AIRS platform launched in April. This software scans applications for vulnerabilities by simulating hacking attempts and protects against common AI cyberattacks like prompt injections.
The agreement also prioritizes Palo Alto Networks' VM-Series virtual firewalls, which block unauthorized network traffic and scan authorized traffic for threats. The company will more closely integrate VM-Series with Google Cloud, ensuring seamless security across both platforms.
"This latest expansion of our partnership will ensure that our joint customers have access to the right solutions to secure their most critical AI infrastructure and develop new AI agents with security built in from the start," said Matt Renner, Google Cloud's president and chief revenue officer.
This deal is noteworthy because it highlights the increasing overlap between competitors. Both Palo Alto Networks and Google operate in cybersecurity product categories, including breach investigation platforms like Cortex XSIAM and the Google Security Operations platform.
Moreover, several of Google's top rivals in the LLM market have adopted its public cloud. Anthropic recently inked a deal worth tens of billions of dollars to expand its use of Google Cloud, while OpenAI Group PBC relies on the platform to power ChatGPT.
This multibillion-dollar partnership underscores the expanding importance of AI and cloud computing in modern business. As the world continues to navigate the complexities of cybersecurity, partnerships like this one will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of technology.