Cloud Computing

GCP

Definition

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is a suite of cloud computing services offered by Google. It provides a series of modular cloud services including computing, data storage, data analytics, and machine learning.

Why It Matters

GCP is the third-largest cloud provider and is known for its strengths in networking, data analytics, machine learning (ML), and container orchestration (it created Kubernetes).

Contextual Example

A data science company might choose GCP to take advantage of its powerful BigQuery (data warehousing) and AI Platform services for training and deploying machine learning models.

Common Misunderstandings

  • GCP is not the same as Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), which is Google's suite of SaaS applications like Gmail and Google Docs.
  • Its main competitors are AWS and Azure.

Related Terms

Last Updated: December 17, 2025