Google to reveal Titan security chip for cloud services

In an effort to better compete against Amazon and Microsoft in the cloud computing space, Google will this week reveal the technical details of its new Titan computer chip designed to protected the data centers powering its cloud services.

Apparently the chip is the size of a small stud earring and the search company has already installed it in many of the servers and network cards that comprise its own massive data centers. Titan scans network hardware to detect if any unauthorized changes have been made and if so the chip will prevent it from booting up.

As most servers and other network hardware is made overseas, data center operators have become increasingly concerned that nation-state hackers or cyber criminals could compromise devices before they are sent overseas.

Google's Titan chip addresses these concerns through its continual checks which provide additional security to cloud computing hardware.

The head of infrastructure product marketing for Google Cloud Platform, Neal Mueller highlighted how the new chip would grant additional control to data center operators, saying:

"It allows us to maintain a level of understanding in our supply chain that we otherwise wouldn't have."

Currently, Google controls just seven percent of the global cloud market putting it in third place behind Amazon with 41 percent and Microsoft with 13 percent.

The company's new Titan chip could help set it apart from its competitors and bring more security-focused companies to its cloud computing platform.

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