Vodafone, Google deepens AI ties in billion-dollar-plus deal across Europe, Africa

Vodafone (NASDAQ:VOD) has inked a ten-year, billion-dollar plus deal, expanding its existing partnership with Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) as it looks to deepen its AI and cloud offering to customers across Europe and Africa, supported by Google Cloud and Google’s Gemini models.

Vodafone (VOD) and Google (GOOG) (GOOGL) will work together to enhance workforce productivity through storage, security, and AI assistance to customers and partners in 15+ countries.

With the expanded partnership, Vodafone will use Google Cloud’s Gen AI across its TV set-top boxes, Google Cloud’s enterprise-ready AI platform, and Google Cloud’s Vertex platform to build machine learning models and AI applications powered by Google’s Gemini models.

The teams are also exploring a more deeply integrated YouTube experience across Vodafone TV devices.

The deal will also include the development of a new cloud-native cybersecurity service that will use Google Cloud’s Security Operations platform, as well as offering Google cloud storage options for customers.

Margherita Della Valle, Vodafone Group chief executive, said, “Together, Vodafone and Google will put new AI-powered content and devices into the hands of millions of more consumers. Using these services, our customers can discover new ways to learn, create, and communicate, as well as consume TV, on a scale we haven’t seen before.”

Vodafone will offer Google One AI Premium subscription plans, which include Gemini Advanced, in certain countries by 2025, it said.