Alphabet, Inc. is reportedly building a new version of its TPU v9 AI chip, codenamed Triggerfish, with MediaTek as its exclusive development partner. The project would extend Google’s in-house AI hardware plan with a larger, more capable processor aimed at faster inference for AI agents and reinforcement learning.
The market did not greet the report with enthusiasm. GOOGL stock was down 1% in early premarket trading on Monday, even after a breakout week in which it rose 2.3% and snapped a five-week slide. For investors, the question is less whether Google wants more custom silicon and more how quickly it can turn that ambition into production and supply.
That is where the new chip stands out. According to noted supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Triggerfish will build on Google’s existing TPU v9 platform known internally as Humufish, but with SRAM capacity two to three times larger and support for HBM4E memory instead of HBM4 in the current design. In practical terms, that points to a chip designed to hold and move more data locally, which is one of the quickest ways to improve inference-heavy workloads that need repeated, fast responses rather than long training runs.
Kuo also said the scale could be meaningful. He estimates lifetime shipments of Humufish at roughly 4 million to 5 million units and expects Triggerfish to add another 1 million to 2 million units. Production is slated to begin in late 2027, with volume ramping in 2028, putting the chip squarely in the window when Google is likely to be pushing harder on Gemini inside its own systems and through Google Cloud.
The partner choice matters as much as the chip itself. Google has increasingly relied on custom TPUs as a core part of its AI strategy, one reason it stands apart from many other hyperscalers that still lean almost entirely on Nvidia accelerators. Broadcom and Marvell remain dominant in custom AI silicon, but MediaTek has spent the past year moving beyond smartphones and into deeper silicon ties with major U.S. technology companies, including work with Nvidia and Microsoft.
That makes Triggerfish more than a one-off design win. It suggests Alphabet wants a second, larger step beyond Humufish, with MediaTek brought back to help shape the next generation rather than simply supply parts of it. The unresolved point is how far along the project really is beyond Kuo’s report, but the timeline already tells investors what matters: Google is still pressing ahead with its own AI chip roadmap, and it is doing so well before the first Triggerfish units are expected to ship.
