Companies are getting desperate to show AI adoption as right now the numbers just don’t add up.
Not surprisingly companies are willing to get into bed with more and more questionable use cases if it helps show some desperately needed AI adoption revenue.
“Demand” is mostly their training of models, which they’ve yet to demonstrate is a profitable business.
Just because you’re struggling to get raw materials for your business doesn’t make it a good business. Without strong enterprise adoption ASAP (which is what’s seriously suffering) things are going to hit the fan real quick.
This will sound snarky, so forgive me, but I honestly don't know the answer. Is this actually true? Is there a reliable source containing statistics on LLM compute usage that includes training vs inference for the whole market?
The revenue numbers are public for the major AI companies. That's probably the best estimate for "inference for the whole market" we have, since most of that inference is billed in either API usage or subscriptions, and it won't include any in-house usage such as training.
Google has enough money, still has positive revenue and still invests in AI + Deepmind.
Google doesn't need to do anything to make any other numbers work.
Gemini 3.1 pro is really good; Meta just signed a deal with Google for their TPUs.
Nano Banana 2 Pro is alsy very good.
OpenAI numbers might not add up, Antrophic might burn through cash, but not google.
And it doesn't matter anyway because as long as google can afford it, Microsoft HAS TO do this too and Microsoft also can afford it. The same with Amazon.
Microsoft invests in OpenAI and Amazon invests in Antrophic.
Let's all boycott Google folks, I want all of HN to band together and in solidarity just not use Google for anything...
Let's see if anyone here has the guts to even switch away from GCP, scratch that can folks even move away from Apple(Apple pays for Gemini too) and Android?
I do think OpenAI deserves the boycott but people talking about Anthropic as they were taking some kind of ethical stand when it was just ego tripping for everyone involved is insane.
Sounds sketchy as hell but the article suggests its for unclassified work, like "drafting meeting notes, creating action items, and breaking large projects into step-by-step plans".
I think I'd be more annoyed if my government weren't using tools to make BS work more efficient.
>The DOD’s workforce of more than 3 million people will now be able to use a no-code or low-code tool called Agent Designer to create their own digital assistants for repetitive administrative tasks.
So the problem is filling out forms is too onerous, but rather than fix the process, create a device that fills the form with slop and then another device that approves or rejects the slop form.
I could have sworn I signed up for the other future-the one without quite this much stupid.
This should surprise no one. A CIA-backed VC was one of the first investors of Google. Big tech will always serve the powers that be. Employees that think their letters of appeal will do anything live in a fantasy land. That’s not how the real world works.
"“We’re starting with unclassified because that’s where most of the users are, and then we’ll get to classified and top secret,” Michael said in an interview, adding that talks with Google over using the agents on the classified cloud are underway."
War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes - Smedley D. Butler
Can you name even a single large company that wasn't created by the state? And yes, maybe created means "picked up a tiny company and made it big", I'm treating that as the same (ie. Amazon)
Also the whole internet started as a military project. The big reason, especially when it comes to Silicon Valley's tech is that people just don't want it until they can see what it does.
If (IF!) the U.S. government is a corrupt authoritarian regime does it matter what services Google was providing?
When is the point we see that boycotting these companies that are helping kill, lets say 100 little girls with a tomahawk missiles, is the very least we can do?
I don't know exactly how I would feel if the software I created selected a school to bomb and then suggested bombing the rescue parties trying to find / save any unexploded children 40 minutes later (double tap strategy to kill rescue parties and/or medics).
That 'let claude wing it, then send for review' approach that your lazy coworker uses is now how the largest military in the world operates. No big drama.
Do you support the current Iran war and the way its handled?
Opposition and critisism (normally done by the independent press and the party not in power) is there to align. With trump you have 'deals' of rich people doing other rich people favours. They do not care about human lives
At this point, the employees at Google who signed that open letter might as well call it quits and leave. Google already has military contracts the Pentagon previously, so this is not surprising at all.
Companies are getting desperate to show AI adoption as right now the numbers just don’t add up.
Not surprisingly companies are willing to get into bed with more and more questionable use cases if it helps show some desperately needed AI adoption revenue.
“Demand” is mostly their training of models, which they’ve yet to demonstrate is a profitable business.
Just because you’re struggling to get raw materials for your business doesn’t make it a good business. Without strong enterprise adoption ASAP (which is what’s seriously suffering) things are going to hit the fan real quick.
This will sound snarky, so forgive me, but I honestly don't know the answer. Is this actually true? Is there a reliable source containing statistics on LLM compute usage that includes training vs inference for the whole market?
The revenue numbers are public for the major AI companies. That's probably the best estimate for "inference for the whole market" we have, since most of that inference is billed in either API usage or subscriptions, and it won't include any in-house usage such as training.
"enough compute" will be when there is no more hardware for use outside of their walled garden, at which point they can control what they want
Google has enough money, still has positive revenue and still invests in AI + Deepmind.
Google doesn't need to do anything to make any other numbers work.
Gemini 3.1 pro is really good; Meta just signed a deal with Google for their TPUs.
Nano Banana 2 Pro is alsy very good.
OpenAI numbers might not add up, Antrophic might burn through cash, but not google.
And it doesn't matter anyway because as long as google can afford it, Microsoft HAS TO do this too and Microsoft also can afford it. The same with Amazon.
Microsoft invests in OpenAI and Amazon invests in Antrophic.
Worth remembering that Amazon is now taking out loans to help pay for it all. That says a lot.
Amazon now has just as much invested in OpenAI, as much as Microsoft most likely.
Given Anthropic is also funded by them, either they are desperate to not lose or they really don't think Anthropic has a moat.
And, in a post-ZIRP era, guess where all of the easy money for growth is coming from? Yup, deficit-funded defense spending.
The pentagon is a questionable use case?
The most questionable of all! You just know it's going to be used for increasingly inappropriate "generate me a list of targets in Iran" stuff.
I’m OK with it, but the fact that this is news highlights that many others don’t like it
Let's all boycott Google folks, I want all of HN to band together and in solidarity just not use Google for anything...
Let's see if anyone here has the guts to even switch away from GCP, scratch that can folks even move away from Apple(Apple pays for Gemini too) and Android?
I do think OpenAI deserves the boycott but people talking about Anthropic as they were taking some kind of ethical stand when it was just ego tripping for everyone involved is insane.
Sounds sketchy as hell but the article suggests its for unclassified work, like "drafting meeting notes, creating action items, and breaking large projects into step-by-step plans".
I think I'd be more annoyed if my government weren't using tools to make BS work more efficient.
It does those things poorly.
Hey chat GPT, could you bomb all enemies of the USA.
No mistakes,
Thanks.
be short and concise
>The DOD’s workforce of more than 3 million people will now be able to use a no-code or low-code tool called Agent Designer to create their own digital assistants for repetitive administrative tasks.
Oh this is dumb.
So the problem is filling out forms is too onerous, but rather than fix the process, create a device that fills the form with slop and then another device that approves or rejects the slop form.
I could have sworn I signed up for the other future-the one without quite this much stupid.
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/10/google-deepens-pentagon-ai-p...
Hegseth: "Hang on, that last bomb was dropped on a girl's school, not a missile launch site!".
Gemini: "You're absolutely right! That's my bad. Here's the actual missile launch target."
Gemini: "You're absolutely right! That's my bad. Do you want me to create a press statement deflecting blame to other nations?"
This should surprise no one. A CIA-backed VC was one of the first investors of Google. Big tech will always serve the powers that be. Employees that think their letters of appeal will do anything live in a fantasy land. That’s not how the real world works.
What is wrong with a company serving the country in which it operates?
Surely that depends heavily on the country.
War Games II anyone?
"“We’re starting with unclassified because that’s where most of the users are, and then we’ll get to classified and top secret,” Michael said in an interview, adding that talks with Google over using the agents on the classified cloud are underway."
War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes - Smedley D. Butler
...is as true now as ever.
Health care didn’t exist in his day. War’s the second most profitable now.
Silicon Valley started with the military... And the military won't ever go away.
Can you name even a single large company that wasn't created by the state? And yes, maybe created means "picked up a tiny company and made it big", I'm treating that as the same (ie. Amazon)
Also the whole internet started as a military project. The big reason, especially when it comes to Silicon Valley's tech is that people just don't want it until they can see what it does.
So it begins.
If (IF!) the U.S. government is a corrupt authoritarian regime does it matter what services Google was providing?
When is the point we see that boycotting these companies that are helping kill, lets say 100 little girls with a tomahawk missiles, is the very least we can do?
Pete Hegseth: Hey Google, what are the best bits of Iran to bomb to maximize civilian damage?
You are absolutely right. Here is a list of schools.
Wasn't Claude already used with Palantir to choose Iran bombing targets?
I don't know exactly how I would feel if the software I created selected a school to bomb and then suggested bombing the rescue parties trying to find / save any unexploded children 40 minutes later (double tap strategy to kill rescue parties and/or medics).
It wouldn't be good though.
Fortunately for the government, there's no lack of "I'm just here for the tech, keep politics out of this" developers
That 'let claude wing it, then send for review' approach that your lazy coworker uses is now how the largest military in the world operates. No big drama.
"Don't be evil"
What is evil about working with the government of the country in which they were founded and operate?
Just beause doesn't mean you support war.
Do you support the current Iran war and the way its handled?
Opposition and critisism (normally done by the independent press and the party not in power) is there to align. With trump you have 'deals' of rich people doing other rich people favours. They do not care about human lives
I think that went into the Google Graveyard years ago
Sorry that's on page 5 of the search results, so it doesn't exist.
Google to help staff the Pentagon with sycophantic incompetent sociopaths! Hooray!
Will I be the only one concerned that amplifying bullshit might run contrary to the mission of the national defense
At this point, the employees at Google who signed that open letter might as well call it quits and leave. Google already has military contracts the Pentagon previously, so this is not surprising at all.
To them, this is just another Tuesday.
> sycophantic incompetent sociopaths
It's possible to use just one word for it but I don't want to get banned