

Improvements to the underlying Google Cloud infrastructure include: Expanding integrations with leading enterprise data platforms, including Collibra, Elastic, MongoDB, Palantir Foundry, and ServiceNow.The launch of Vertex AI Vision, a new service that makes powerful computer vision and image recognition AI more accessible to data practitioners.Partnerships with Tableau and Microsoft Power BI allow API access to Looker data in these third-party tools.

Google Data Studio becomes Looker Studio as part of a deep integration of Looker, Data Studio, and AI and machine learning (ML) technologies.Updates to Dataplex for automated data quality and data lineage processes.Extending the BigLake storage engine to include support for major data formats such as Apache Iceberg, Linux Foundation Delta Lake and Apache Hudi, as well as a new integrated experience in BigQuery for Apache Spark.A new integration between Datastream and BigQuery to help organizations replicate real-time data from various external data sources directly into BigQuery.Adding support for unstructured data in BigQuery, bringing in sources such as video, audio and documents for analysis alongside the more structured operational and time-series data it has traditionally supported.On data, Google is working towards offering what it calls an open Data Cloud, able to support all kinds of workloads and all styles of analysis. Removing barriers to collaboration is the final big theme, with new capabilities in Workspace. Allied to this is the second big theme of security, with several announcements offering more granular and proactive security measures. Inevitably, data is a huge part of the story, in particular breaking down data silos so that enterprises can work across all of their data, with announcements around opening up access to data and expanding the reach of BI and AI. Three themes cut across the usual flurry of product announcements at this year's Google Cloud Next conference, which opens later today.
