Alphabet’s Google Cloud revenue surges 82%, Gemini hits 950M users

Google Cloud grew revenue 82% year over year to $24.8 billion in the second quarter of 2026. For a business that size, that is not a growth spurt. That is a sprint. The Gemini app had its own moment. It reached 950 million monthly active users, up from approximately 450 million a year earlier. Alphabet spent years being cast as the company most exposed to the AI chatbot wave. This quarter, it looked more like the company riding it. The numbers behind the quarter Start with the acceleration, because that is the real headline inside the headline. Cloud revenue grew 63% in Q1 2026. One quarter later, the growth rate jumped to 82%. Profitability followed. Google Cloud’s operating income more than tripled to $8.8 billion. Operating margins expanded to 35.6%. Then there is the backlog. Alphabet reported $514 billion in contracted revenue not yet recognized. That backlog sits at more than 20 times Google Cloud’s quarterly revenue. At the company level, Alphabet’s total revenue reached $119.8 billion, up 24% year over year. Cloud now accounts for roughly a fifth of that total. Gemini goes mainstream The Gemini app’s climb has been steep. It sat at around 750 million monthly active users in...