Gemini 4 Carbon: our next frontier model
Google announced a new frontier model with restricted initial access and a voluntary pre-release testing process.
TL;DR
- Google announced Gemini 4 Carbon on 2026-10-28.
- The initial rollout is limited to selected cyber defenders and trusted partners.
- The company has not announced a date for broad access.
Google announced Gemini 4 Carbon as the next model in its Gemini family. The company said it builds on Gemini 4 Argon and is designed for extended software engineering and cybersecurity tasks. [1] [2]
Google said it was participating in a voluntary U.S. government process for pre-release testing. It plans to start with a subset of cyber defenders and then extend access to trusted partners through its Fairwind Program. [1]
The announced introductory API prices are $2 per million input tokens and $10 per million output tokens, the same introductory rates as Gemini 4 Argon. Ars Technica reported that Google had not specified when the introductory price would end. [1] [2]
Google presented its own evaluations of coding and security capabilities, but the model is not yet broadly available for users to assess. Ars Technica reported that Google had made no commitment on the timing of a wide release. [1] [2]
Why it matters
A staged launch links model competition to security review and access to computing tools. The restrictions and eventual API price will shape when developers can compare Carbon with rival models in their own work.
Editor's note
Google is the source for the model capabilities and rollout plans; performance claims have not been independently tested here. Ars Technica independently reported the announcement and lack of a broad release date.