Claude Platform comes to Google Cloud with its agents, tools, and native API

Anthropic is making the entire Claude platform available on Google Cloud, complete with agentic tools, existing billing, and cloud credentials.

Companies using Google Cloud can now directly access the features of the Claude platform without giving up their authentication tools, cloud contracts, or billing system. Anthropic is expanding its partnership with Google by offering a new option named Claude Models on Google Cloud (Anthropic managed). It provides access to Claude’s native API, agent development tools, and new features as soon as they become available, while retaining the credentials and financial commitments associated with Google Cloud. This option coexists with the existing Google-managed offering, which addresses different data processing and localization needs. Two Ways to Use Claude on Google Cloud

Until now, organizations could notably use Claude within the Google Cloud environment through an infrastructure managed by Google. This option remains available, but Anthropic is now adding a second operating mode in which the American company directly manages the Claude service, while Google Cloud provides the access layer, permissions, and billing.

The distinction primarily concerns the entity responsible for data processing. In the Google managed offering, Google assumes this role and offers its native integrations, including Model Armor and Agent Engine. This configuration is particularly aimed at companies that must comply with strict regional data residency requirements or wish to maintain an architecture closely tied to Google Cloud services.

In the new Anthropic managed option, Anthropic operates the service and acts as the data processor. Customers access the Claude API using their Google Cloud credentials, but directly use the features of the Anthropic platform. The offering currently has US and Global access points, which should not be interpreted as a guarantee of regional residency in all zones covered by Google Cloud.

The two solutions are therefore not interchangeable in terms of governance. A company must choose based on the constraints related to processing its data, the integrations it needs, and the Claude features it wishes to use. Claude Features Available as Soon as Released

The main benefit of this new option lies in access to all features of the Claude Platform. Anthropic indicates that new features, including beta versions, will be accessible in the team-managed offering as soon as they are published on the native platform.

This includes tools designed to build agents capable of performing multiple successive operations. Claude Managed Agents, still in beta, allows for the development of long-running agents without directly managing their entire execution infrastructure. The platform also provides access to Python code execution, computer use, and graphical user interface navigation capabilities.

Developers can use Agent Skills to define repeatable procedures, as well as an Advisor strategy, available in beta, allowing an agent to consult another model to improve certain decisions or analyses. This latter feature does not replace the main model: it adds a specialized consultation to the task execution.

Anthropic also includes the necessary components to work with documents and external services. The Files API allows files to be stored for reuse across different conversations, while citations make it easier to link responses to source documents. Web search and web fetching can enrich available information, and the MCP connector allows Claude to be linked to compatible tools without systematically developing a custom integration. Authentication and Billing Retained in Google Cloud

The offering allows teams to maintain their current access structure. Authorizations go through Google Cloud IAM, the platform’s identity and permission management system. Companies therefore do not need to set up a completely independent authentication mechanism to use the Claude features available in this plan.

API usage appears on a single Google Cloud bill and can be counted toward spending commitments already made with the provider. For organizations with major contracts, this feature avoids separating Claude usage from their other cloud services.

However, this does not mean that previously negotiated rates will automatically be retained. Anthropic notes that companies benefiting from discounts must contact their sales representative before activating the offering, as discounts cannot be applied retroactively to usage that has already been billed.

Two customer companies, Abacus.AI and Triple Whale, highlight the value of this arrangement. The former emphasizes access to new API features as soon as they are available, while the latter highlights the ability to retain the prompt caching used by its Moby agent while centralizing spending in Google Cloud. These are user feedback testimonials shared in Anthropic's announcement, rather than independent comparative benchmarks. An Environment to Develop and Monitor Agents

Organizations using the Anthropic managed plan also benefit from Claude Console, the platform's development environment. It brings together agent configuration, prompt writing, hosted execution environments, and monitoring tools.

The Console notably allows users to monitor usage and costs, as well as manage access and security settings by workspace. This capability complements Google Cloud's administrative tools rather than replacing them entirely: Google retains the role of the access and billing layer, while the Console handles operations specific to Claude applications.

Companies can also use prompt caching, which reduces the repetition of computations on previously transmitted contexts, and batch processing designed for large-scale asynchronous requests. These features play a role in document and agentic applications, where the same instructions, tools, or knowledge bases can be reused repeatedly. Claude Opus 5.5 Fast Mode Accessible on Google Cloud

The announcement also includes the general availability of Claude Opus 5.5 Fast Mode for users of the Anthropic managed offering. This mode prioritizes generation speed