Google Partners with Merck on $1B Agentic AI Initiative; Cloud Next Unveils 260+ Announcements

Google Cloud announced a comprehensive suite of AI agent tools at Cloud Next '26 in Las Vegas to compete with OpenAI and Anthropic, alongside a strategic partnership with Merck valued at up to $1 billion to deploy Gemini Enterprise-based agentic platforms across R&D, manufacturing, commercial, and enterprise functions. The conference, attended by over 32,000 participants, featured more than 260 announcements, including a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure contract for Mira Murati's Thinking Machines Lab based on GB300 technology.