According to TechNews and Central News Agency (CNA) reports citing The Information and CNBC, Google is developing a server chip codenamed Frozen v2 that hardwires parts of the Gemini model architecture directly into silicon. Google engineers estimate it could process 6 to 10 times more tokens than TPU at equal power draw, with deployment targeted for 2028 — news that lifted Alphabet's stock the same day.
What Is Frozen v2, and Why Is Google Building It?
Google is developing a new server chip codenamed Frozen v2, intended to run its Gemini AI models more efficiently. According to a TechNews report citing tech outlet The Information, the chip is meant to "substantially raise the efficiency of running Gemini models" 1. The same account was corroborated by Central News Agency (CNA), whose reporter Chang Hsin-yu filed from San Francisco on July 20 with an identical description of the project 7.
How Does the New Chip Improve Gemini's Efficiency?
Per the TechNews report, Frozen v2's approach is architectural: the chip embeds parts of the Gemini model architecture directly and permanently into the silicon itself — effectively hardwiring segments of the model into hardware. The stated goal is to reduce both the number of computations needed to answer a user query and the volume of data that must move within the chip while doing so 3.
How Much Faster Is Frozen v2 Than TPU?
According to both TechNews 4 and CNA 9, Google engineers estimate that, at the same power consumption, Frozen v2 could process 6 to 10 times as many tokens as Google's current AI chip, the TPU (Tensor Processing Unit). The figure is reported identically across both outlets, which independently cite the same underlying claim traced to The Information.
Where Does Frozen Fit in Google's Chip Lineup?
TechNews reports that Frozen is positioned as a more specialized chip within Google's custom silicon lineup, rather than a replacement for the broader-purpose TPU. Google is not currently planning to mass-produce Frozen at the same scale as TPU 5.
When Will Google Deploy Frozen v2?
CNBC, citing The Information, reported that Google is targeting 2028 for deployment of the new chip — a timeline relayed by both TechNews 2 and CNA 8.
What Does Alphabet Say Officially?
In a statement to CNBC, Google's parent company Alphabet said its teams "continue to research and test various new technologies, hoping to provide the best performance and efficiency for our users and customers." Alphabet added that "while not every project will ultimately reach mass production, rigorous exploration is core to our full-stack technology strategy" 6.
How Did the Market React?
Both TechNews and CNA report that news of the 2028 deployment target — first surfaced via The Information and CNBC — coincided with a rise in Alphabet's stock price on the day the report emerged (E2, E8). Neither report specifies a percentage move.
What This Means
The reporting places two Alphabet-linked signals side by side: a hedged official framing in which Alphabet itself stresses that "not every project" it explores reaches mass production 6, and a market reaction — Alphabet shares rising the same day (E2, E8) — that followed a specific, unhedged efficiency claim of 6 to 10 times TPU's token throughput (E4, E9) and a firm 2028 deployment target (E2, E8). At the same time, TechNews reports Frozen is designed as a specialized addition to Google's chip lineup rather than a TPU replacement, with no plan for TPU-scale production 5 — a narrower scope than the scale of the performance multiplier being reported alongside it.