Certified Ubuntu images are available by default for Cloud TPU Virtual Machines, combining standard compute with Google Tensor Processing Units for AI training and inference. The availability targets developers and organizations already using Ubuntu by simplifying setup of environments where general-purpose compute and AI accelerators work together. The collaboration reflects a market shift from training larger models toward inference for chatbots, AI agents, and automated workflows. The images provide direct access to the latest TPU platform, Ironwood (TPU7x), and continue to support older TPU generations such as TPU v5 and Trillium (TPU v6) using Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. Support moves from a Google-customized Ubuntu to Canonical’s regular Ubuntu LTS model without requiring production changes.
"Canonical and Google Cloud have announced the availability of certified Ubuntu images for Cloud TPU Virtual Machines. The images are offered by default when setting up TPU VMs and are intended to make it easier to run AI workloads on Google's proprietary AI accelerators. With this move, both companies aim to make the use of TPU infrastructure more accessible to developers and organizations already working with Ubuntu. Cloud TPU Virtual Machines combine standard computing power with Google's specialized Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), which are used for AI training and inference."
"According to Canonical and Google Cloud, the collaboration aligns with a shift within the AI market. While recent years have been dominated by training increasingly larger models, the focus is now shifting to inference: the actual execution of AI models for applications such as chatbots, AI agents, and automated workflows. For such applications, general-purpose compute resources and AI accelerators must work closely together. By making Ubuntu available by default on TPU VMs, both parties aim to simplify the implementation of such environments."
"Through the new images, developers gain direct access to Google's latest TPU platform, Ironwood, also known as TPU7x. Additionally, older generations such as TPU v5 and Trillium (TPU v6) remain supported via Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, allowing existing environments to continue functioning without major modifications. According to The Register, users of TPU v5 and v6 systems have been running on a Google-customized version of Ubuntu 22.04 until now. With the introduction of the certified images, support shifts to Canonical."
"As a result, these environments will fall under the regular Ubuntu LTS support model, without requiring any changes to existing production environments. The Register also reports that TPU7x instances come standard with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS. According to Canonical, both Ubuntu 22.04 and Ubuntu 24.04 have been"
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