I mentioned in my preview of the Google Data Cloud Summit this week that I was expecting some exciting technology announcements for AI, machine learning, data management, and analytics. Google did not disappoint in that department. The Google Cloud stated mission is to accelerate every organization's ability to transform through data-powered innovation. A theme that should come as no surprise to anyone, but in Google's case, supported by a slew of new technologies and innovations. In this article, I will unpack and analyze some of the announcements from this busy week.

Google Cloud's bet on an open platform is starting to materialize with Anthos and BigQuery Omni. Three years ago, I started (and sadly never finished) a series called Platform Wars (Part I, Part II), evaluating the tech giants and their strategies in the age of artificial intelligence. In my piece on Google, I explained Google's shift to an AI-first company, and why Kubernetes was a crucial part of Google's strategy to compete in the enterprise cloud market. Fast forward two years, Google Cloud reported meaningful growth, but still stood a distant third to AWS and Azure. Thomas Kurian, a former Oracle exec, was brought in to replace Diane Greene, carrying with him a vision for a multi-cloud strategy.