Google Cloud’s Web3 portal goes live

Google Cloud has launched a Web3 portal, expanding its reach in the blockchain world. The new portal offers learning resources, testnet tools, blockchain data sets and more.

The portal aggregates services, resources and products built by Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) team and the broader blockchain community.

🎉 Now announcing our Web3 portal—the home for all things Web3 at Google Cloud → https://t.co/cOSwftJgfz

🚰 Experiment on testnet
💡 Discover blockchain datasets & developer tools from Google Cloud and our partners
⚡ Learn how the Web3 Startup Program can help you build faster pic.twitter.com/KadzkDStDS

— Google Cloud (@googlecloud) April 24, 2024

Google has been expanding its blockchain tools for over three years. In 2022, it launched
the Blockchain Node Engine, a node-hosting service for blockchain developers.

“Web3 companies who require dedicated nodes can relay transactions, deploy smart contracts, and read or write blockchain data with the reliability, performance, and security they expect from Google Cloud compute and network infrastructure,” the company stated at the time.

In 2023, the tech giant revealed it was investing in expanding its suite of Web3 products on Google Cloud. It aimed to eliminate the need for Web3 startups using Google Cloud to “rebuild foundational capabilities that are not unique to their businesses.”

Google Cloud’s Blockchain Node Engine will now be part of the new Web3 portal. Other services include blockchain analytics for eight networks and products from some of Google’s blockchain partners, such as enterprise digital asset firm Fireblocks and on-chain analytics provider Nansen.

The portal offers educational resources on developing non-fungible tokens (NFTs), launching Web3 loyalty programs and integrating multi-party computation to secure digital assets. It also hosts learning resources on unlocking Web3 data with BigQuery, the company’s “serverless data warehouse.” Google has integrated its Gemini chatbot into BigQuery for an “AI-powered assistive experience.”

As part of the portal launch, Web3 startups will now be eligible for the Google for Startups Cloud Program. Successful applicants will receive between $2,000 and $200,000 in Google Cloud and Fireblocks credits. They also have the chance to receive credits from ecosystem partners, including Nansen, Web3 development platform Alchemy, and cybersecurity firm ThirdEye.

While it continues expanding its Web3 tools and products, Google’s primary focus in recent years has been artificial intelligence (AI). The company has emerged as the Big Tech leader in the new technology, with Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) its only formidable rival. Over the past month, it has intensified talks with Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) to power AI capabilities in its upcoming iOS, launched a trial for AI-generated summaries in select countries, rolled out an AI-based weather forecasting service, and introduced AI tools for Google Photos.

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