Google Restricts Meta's Access to Gemini AI Models

Google has reportedly placed limits on Meta Platforms' use of its Gemini artificial intelligence models, as the social media company's demand for computing capacity exceeded what Google could provide. The Financial Times reported Sunday that Google informed Meta around March that it could not meet the full Gemini capacity the company sought to purchase.

This limitation has reportedly disrupted and delayed some of Meta's internal AI projects. While several other Google clients have also been affected to a lesser extent, Meta's exceptionally high demand made it particularly impacted, according to the report.

In response to the restrictions, Meta has reportedly encouraged its staff to be more efficient with AI tokens, which are units used to measure AI usage. The demand for AI services continues to strain computing resources, even as companies invest heavily in chips and data centers.

Google Cloud's revenue grew to $20 billion in the first quarter ending March. However, CEO Sundar Pichai noted that computing power constraints prevented even higher growth and contributed to the cloud unit's backlog nearly doubling quarter-on-quarter.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report, which cited people familiar with the matter. Both Google and Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside of business hours.