TPU vs. CUDA: A Post-Cloud Next 2026 Assessment

Google announced TPU 8t/8i, TorchTPU, and an Anthropic deal at Cloud Next 2026; TPU 8i is slated for H2 2027 volume production. 8i has 288GB HBM, 8.6TB/s bandwidth, and 384MB SRAM; TorchTPU runs PyTorch on TPU, but the post says independent benchmarks are missing. The key crack is vLLM inference, while the author says TPU will not replace NVIDIA within 18-24 months.

Why it matters: HKR-H/K/R all pass: clear TPU-vs-CUDA rivalry, concrete 8i specs and TorchTPU details, and strong NVIDIA cost/supply resonance. No independent benchmark and H2 2027 production keep it in 78–84, not P1.