Cloud Storage Rapid: Turbocharged object storage for AI and analytics (cloud.google.com)

At Google Cloud Next '26, Google announced the launch of Cloud Storage Rapid, a new suite of object storage solutions tailored for data-intensive AI and analytics workloads. The offering includes Rapid Bucket, a high-performance zonal storage option, and Rapid Cache, designed to enhance read speeds. This initiative addresses the growing demand for efficient storage solutions as organizations scale their AI capabilities, particularly while training massive models and conducting real-time data analytics. The significance of Cloud Storage Rapid lies in its ability to eliminate common performance bottlenecks associated with traditional object storage systems. Rapid Bucket can handle an impressive 20 million queries per second with sub-millisecond latency and boasts a staggering 15+ TB/s throughput. Rapid Cache further accelerates data access, optimizing costs and performance by enabling immediate access to data right after it's written. Together, these technologies reduce GPU idle time, enhance checkpointing speed, and bolster overall operational efficiency, making them crucial for AI/ML practitioners who require seamless data processing and storage management. This enhanced performance is pivotal for organizations like Thinking Machines Lab, which rely on scalable and reliable storage systems to support their advanced AI workflows.