Google Cloud adds Anthropic-managed option for running Claude models
Google Cloud has made an Anthropic-managed deployment option for Claude models generally available, giving customers a second way to run Claude next to the existing Google-managed option. According to Google Cloud, both options offer the same pricing and billing, and the key difference is who acts as the data processor.
- Google Cloud made an Anthropic-managed deployment option for Claude models generally available.
- Both the Anthropic-managed and Google-managed options offer day-zero models, the same pricing and Google Cloud billing.
- Anthropic acts as data processor in the new option, Google Cloud in the existing one.
- Claude Platform features such as Claude Managed Agents (beta), skills and code execution arrive on day zero only in the Anthropic-managed option.
- Available models include Claude Fable 5.1, Sonnet 5.5, Haiku 5.5 and Opus 5.5.
Two ways to run Claude on Google Cloud
Michael Gerstenhaber, VP of Product Management for Gemini at Google Cloud, wrote that the company is "committed to giving developers model choice and architectural flexibility to run workloads however they need." The new Anthropic-managed option is meant to help teams consolidate AI workloads on Google Cloud, alongside the Google-managed option that already exists.
According to Google Cloud, both options deliver the same frontier models on day zero, the same pricing and the same Google Cloud billing. The choice comes down to two questions: who acts as your data processor, and whether you need access to new Claude platform features when they launch.
How the options differ
In the Anthropic-managed option, Anthropic operates the stack as the data processor on Google Cloud infrastructure, under Anthropic's terms of service. Organizations still authenticate with Google Cloud IAM, keep Cloud Audit Logging and consolidate spend under their existing Google Cloud billing and eligible commitments. This option provides day-zero access to Claude Platform features such as Claude Managed Agents (beta), skills and code execution.
In the Google-managed option, Google Cloud is the data processor under existing customer agreements. Google lists the following for this option:
- VPC Service Controls
- Customer-Managed Encryption Keys (CMEK)
- Data residency in the U.S., EU and APAC
- Native integrations with services such as BigQuery and Model Armor
Google positions this option for teams with strict governance, compliance and sovereignty requirements. It also continues to offer day-zero access to the latest Claude models. New Claude Platform features, however, roll out over time as they are integrated into the Google-managed infrastructure.
In Google's comparison, model availability is day zero on both options. First-party tools and betas are available on day zero only with the Anthropic-managed option. Pricing is standard on both and draws down eligible Google Cloud commitments.
Available models and what it means for customers
Whichever option a team chooses, Google Cloud says it can access Anthropic's latest frontier models, including Claude Fable 5.1, Sonnet 5.5, Haiku 5.5 and Opus 5.5. The company says this gives developers the full spectrum of reasoning, coding and multi-modal capabilities with Google Cloud IAM and Marketplace billing.
For customers, the announcement turns the deployment choice into a trade-off rather than a price question. Teams that want new Claude platform features the moment they launch can choose the Anthropic-managed option and accept Anthropic as data processor under its terms. Teams that prioritize Google Cloud's data processing terms, VPC Service Controls, CMEK and regional data residency can stay on the Google-managed option and wait for new features to be integrated. Because pricing and billing are the same, according to Google, the decision rests on governance and feature timing.
Google Cloud: Expanding Claude availability and deployment choice on Google Cloud
