AI infrastructure & chips · AWS vs Google Cloud
AWS Inferentia (Inf2) vs Cloud TPU
AWS Inferentia has no inference-only Google chip.
Cloud TPUs serve both training and inference.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Service | AWS Inferentia (Inf2) | Cloud TPU |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Generally available |
| What it is | AWS-designed inference accelerator chips, available as EC2 Inf1 and Inf2 instances through the Neuron SDK. | Google's custom AI accelerators (for example v6e Trillium and TPU7x Ironwood) for both training and inference, on Compute Engine, GKE, or Agent Platform. |
| Pricing model | EC2 pricing for Inf instances. | Billed per chip-hour, with on-demand, Spot, and committed-use options. |
| Docs | AWS Inferentia (Inf2) docs | Cloud TPU docs |
| Pricing page | AWS Inferentia (Inf2) pricing | Cloud TPU pricing |
Key differences
- Pick a TPU generation and slice size for serving cost and latency instead of an inference-specific chip.
- Serving on TPUs uses frameworks such as JAX or vLLM TPU support, not the Neuron SDK.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- EC2 pricing for Inf instances. AWS Inferentia (Inf2) pricing →
- GCP
- Billed per chip-hour, with on-demand, Spot, and committed-use options. Cloud TPU pricing →
And on Azure?
No equivalent Azure's equivalent is Microsoft Maia 200. AWS vs Azure comparison →
FAQ
What is the Google Cloud equivalent of AWS Inferentia (Inf2)?
AWS Inferentia has no inference-only Google chip. Cloud TPUs serve both training and inference.
How does pricing compare between AWS Inferentia (Inf2) and Cloud TPU?
AWS: EC2 pricing for Inf instances. Google Cloud: Billed per chip-hour, with on-demand, Spot, and committed-use options. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
What is the Azure equivalent?
Microsoft Maia 200 (no equivalent). Azure has no rentable equivalent of AWS Inferentia (Inf2).