Google and Salesforce just signed a huge $2.5 billion AI deal

Salesforce and Alphabet’s Google have signed a multi-billion dollar agreement to integrate their artificial intelligence and customer relationship management tools, valued at $2.5 billion over seven years. The deal aims to link Google Cloud’s infrastructure with Salesforce’s AI-powered Agentforce assistants, CRM software, and Data Cloud capabilities, benefiting joint business customers by enhancing interactions between Google Workspace and Salesforce’s CRM and AI solutions.

This partnership follows a recent collaboration with ServiceNow, which integrates IT service management and security technologies into Google Distributed Cloud, thereby expanding Google Cloud’s presence in the CRM sector. Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, emphasized that clients seek seamless connectivity between Salesforce and Google Cloud, particularly for AI-driven customer service, data analytics, and automation.

As part of the agreement, Agentforce will leverage Google’s Gemini models, enabling it to process complex tasks involving images, audio, and video, as well as use real-time insights grounded in Google Search with Vertex AI. This integration will enhance Salesforce Service Cloud’s capabilities, bringing features like real-time voice translation, intelligent agent-to-agent handoffs, personalized recommendations, and AI-driven conversational insights across all channels.

Salesforce’s Agentforce, Data Cloud, and Customer 360 Apps will run on Google Cloud infrastructure, granting access to new regions and simplifying procurement through the Google Cloud Marketplace. The partnership emphasizes customer choice in models and capabilities, allowing businesses to develop tailored AI solutions rather than relying on a single provider.

“Through our expanded partnership with Google Cloud and deep integrations at the platform, application, and infrastructure layer, we’re giving customers choice in the applications and models they want to use,” stated Srini Tallapragada, Salesforce President & Chief Engineering and Customer Success Officer. He highlighted Salesforce as providing a complete enterprise-grade agentic AI platform that enables rapid deployment of new capabilities and business value. Kurian reinforced that Google Cloud’s secure, AI-optimized infrastructure facilitates the deployment of critical applications for enterprise customers.

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The integration of Agentforce with Google Search will enhance its data handling capabilities, allowing agents to reference up-to-the-minute data, news, and credible citations, thus improving their contextual awareness. For instance, an Agentforce agent could track shipments and monitor inventory levels in the Salesforce Commerce Cloud, utilizing real-time data from Google Search to anticipate logistical disruptions.

Google’s Gemini models will also be available within Agentforce in 2025, providing businesses with the flexibility to choose models best suited for their needs. The multi-modal capabilities of Gemini will allow agents to interpret images, audio, and video, thereby increasing speeds and efficiencies in processing information.

Customers will benefit from using Salesforce’s unified platform (Agentforce, Data Cloud, Customer 360) on Google Cloud’s infrastructure, which includes features like dynamic grounding and zero data retention capabilities based on the Einstein Trust Layer. Following the availability of Salesforce products on Google Cloud, businesses will have the option to procure Salesforce offerings through the Google Cloud Marketplace.

Salesforce and Google Cloud are deeply integrating their services to enhance employee productivity and customer service, creating smarter AI agents and streamlined workflows. Upcoming integrations between Salesforce Service Cloud and Google Cloud’s Customer Engagement Suite will empower virtual agents with capabilities such as real-time voice translation and sentiment analysis.

Moreover, the two companies plan to explore further integrations with Slack and Google Workspace, which will enhance communication and knowledge sharing across platforms. This partnership is designed to facilitate a more connected work environment, allowing businesses to optimize their tools and increase productivity.

Salesforce and Google Cloud are committed to ongoing innovation and deeper collaboration, with availability for many new features and capabilities expected throughout 2025. This partnership aims to deliver a robust data foundation and improving access to business data through new integrations, allowing for better management and visualization of information across platforms.

The announcement precedes the fourth-quarter fiscal 2025 statement by Salesforce, expected on Wednesday after market closure.

Featured image credit: Google & Salesforce