Google unveiled Gemma 3, and it should be incredibly fast

Almost a year ago, Google released the Gemma 2B and 7B (open-source AI models) for developers who wanted to better understand how the Gemini flagship works. While these models are much simpler and smaller, they’re also a lot speedier and cost-effective.

Now Google has unveiled Gemma 3, a cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) model that is efficient on a single GPU or TPU, making it accessible for a broad developer base and applications. According to the blog post, it’s supposed to be the best single-accelerator model, but is it?

These are the key features of Gemma 3

Multilingual Capability: Gemma 3 can process and generate text in over 35 languages, accommodating global applications and interactions.

Multimodal Capabilities: Gemma 3 can analyze and comprehend text, image, and short video, enabling more versatile and dynamic AI applications.

Optimized Performance: Designed for efficiency, Gemma 3 performs highly on single-accelerator systems, outperforming comparable models from other leading AI research organizations.

You can try Gemma 3 directly in your browser with Google AI Studio without any setup. You can also get an API key directly from Google AI Studio and use Gemma 3 with the Google GenAI SDK.

Enhanced Vision Encoder and Safety Features

Gemma 3 is equipped with a better vision encoder that now processes high-resolution and non-standard aspect ratio images, making it more flexible for a variety of visual contexts. It also features ShieldGemma 2, an image safety classifier that filters out content that is sexually explicit, dangerous, or violent, facilitating safer AI interaction.

While Google touts Gemma 3 as an “open” model, the licensing terms under which it is released may include some restrictions on its use. Developers and organizations need to review these terms to see how to meet Google’s requirements.

To aid research and innovation, Google has launched the Gemma 3 Academic program. The program provides eligible academic researchers with up to $10,000 in Google Cloud credits. It will accelerate research and projects that leverage Gemma 3’s features.

Google is advancing AI technology with the launch of Gemma 3, a powerful tool for developers that offers performance, accessibility, and safety.