Google Cloud is teaming up with Y Combinator startups by providing access to a subsidized cluster of Nvidia GPUs and Google TPUs to develop AI models. This initiative is part of Google Cloud’s strategy to support promising early-stage AI startups, aiming to nurture them into successful, high-demand businesses.
James Lee, the general manager for Google Cloud’s startups and AI business, expressed the company’s intention to offer support and resources to startups from the beginning to help them thrive on the Google Cloud Platform. By fostering these relationships, Google hopes to establish long-term partnerships with these startups as they grow and expand.
Under this collaboration, Google will provide a dedicated cluster with priority access for YC’s Summer 2024 startups, along with $350,000 in cloud credits over two years for each participating startup. With a track record of 5% of Y Combinator startups becoming unicorns with billion-dollar valuations, Google is making a strategic investment in potential future successes.
Both Google and Y Combinator are optimistic about the emergence of the next generation of AI startups, referring to them as potential decacorns. By offering generous compute resources and guidance, Y Combinator aims to attract more AI startups and address the common challenge of compute limitations faced by early-stage companies.
To support AI workloads, Google will offer YC startups $12,000 in Enhanced Support credits, a free year of Google Workspace Business Plus, and access to monthly office hours with Google’s internal AI experts. This comprehensive support package aims to empower startups in their AI development endeavors.
Other investment firms like Andreessen Horowitz are also providing GPU clusters to AI startups, signaling a growing trend in the industry. While the exact number of GPUs in this partnership between Google Cloud and Y Combinator remains undisclosed, it is designed to meet the training requirements of YC’s foundational model companies.
