Releasesby IbisYou can now provision GKE nodes from storage-optimized Z4M machine series : - Manually: starting from GKE...
Update5 days agoUnverifiedAdded Oct 20, 2026
You can now provision GKE nodes from storage-optimized Z4M machine series : Manually: starting from GKE version 1.36.3-gke.1767000 and later. Using compute classes, cluster autoscaler, node pool auto-creation and in Autopilot clusters: starting from GKE version 1.37.0-gke.4713000 and later.
More Google Kubernetes Engine releases
Every Google Kubernetes Engine releaseFor GKE Standard CPU node pools, GKE can now upgrade nodes by updating the existing Compute Engine VM in...
For GKE Standard CPU node pools, GKE can now upgrade nodes by updating the existing Compute Engine VM in place, instead of deleting the VM and creating a new one. Because the node keeps its underlying VM, it also keeps its compute capacity during the upgrade. This lowers the risk that a node upgrade fails or stalls because resources aren't available.
(2026-R44) Version updates
GKE cluster versions have been updated. New versions available for upgrades and new clusters. The following versions are now available for new GKE clusters, and for manual control plane upgrades and node upgrades for existing clusters. For more information about versioning and upgrades, see GKE versioning and support and About GKE cluster upgrades .
Note : Your clusters might not have these versions available
Note : Your clusters might not have these versions available. Rollouts are already in progress when we publish the release notes, and can take multiple days to complete across all Google Cloud zones. Version 1.37.1-gke.1552000 is now the default version for cluster creation in the Rapid channel.
(2026-R43) Version updates
GKE cluster versions have been updated. New versions available for upgrades and new clusters. The following versions are now available for new GKE clusters, and for manual control plane upgrades and node upgrades for existing clusters. For more information about versioning and upgrades, see GKE versioning and support and About GKE cluster upgrades .
Note : Your clusters might not have these versions available
Note : Your clusters might not have these versions available. Rollouts are already in progress when we publish the release notes, and can take multiple days to complete across all Google Cloud zones. Version 1.36.4-gke.2046002 is now the default version for cluster creation in the Rapid channel.
The microVM sandbox type is now Generally Available (GA) with GKE Sandbox in clusters that run version...
The microVM sandbox type is now Generally Available (GA) with GKE Sandbox in clusters that run version 1.37.0-gke.4713000 and later. MicroVM sandboxes provide hardware virtualization and isolation for untrusted workloads, AI agent runtimes, and multi-tenant environments.
Starting on July 1, 2026, Identity Service for GKE is deprecated in GKE version 1.36 and earlier
Starting on July 1, 2026, Identity Service for GKE is deprecated in GKE version 1.36 and earlier. This feature is also unavailable in organizations that were created on or after July 1, 2025. GKE version 1.37 and later don't support Identity Service for GKE.
GKE support for using the c4-standard-* machine types (up to 192 vCPUs) as Confidential GKE Nodes with Intel...
GKE support for using the c4-standard-* machine types (up to 192 vCPUs) as Confidential GKE Nodes with Intel TDX is generally available. For more information, see the following pages: To use this feature with GKE , see Encrypt workload data in-use with Confidential GKE Nodes .
Also shipped on Oct 19, 2026
Google Cloud in October 2026Training Upcoming Serverless Training deprecation: DeepSeek V4 Flash (0731) On November 2, 2026 , DeepSeek V4...
Training Upcoming Serverless Training deprecation: DeepSeek V4 Flash (0731) On November 2, 2026 , DeepSeek V4 Flash (0731) will be removed from the shared Serverless Training pool. This change applies only to Serverless Training. If you train DeepSeek V4 Flash (0731) on Serverless Training, migrate to DeepSeek V4.1 Flash 1017 before November 2, 2026.
Cloud Workload Security is now available in Beta
Cloud Workload Security (CWS) is now available in Beta. Apply policy controls to cloud API requests before they reach your cloud provider. Define policies with request filters and Rego checks. For example, block requests that would make an R2 bucket public. Use workloads and policy sets to target your cloud environments.
Copilot model policy API for enterprise, orgs, and teams
You can now use the REST API to retrieve and update Copilot model policies for enterprises, enterprise teams, enterprise apps, and organizations. What’s new GET and PATCH endpoints are now generally available for model policies at four levels: Enterprise: /enterprises/{enterprise}/copilot/model-policies Enterprise teams...
GitHub Copilot models deprecated on October 19, 2026
As of today, October 19, 2026, we have deprecated the following models across most GitHub Copilot experiences (including Copilot Chat, inline edits, ask and agent modes, and code completions). These deprecations were announced on September 18, 2026 .
Postgres wait events, now in Query Insights
Query Insights for ClickHouse Managed Postgres now includes wait event breakdowns, blocked-session charts, and lock-wait charts. These metrics are also available in Prometheus.
Send OpenTelemetry traces to Agent Observability, no SDK required
You can now send OpenTelemetry traces straight to Agent Observability, without the SDK. If your agents already emit OpenTelemetry generative AI spans, from your framework, an instrumentation library, or spans you write yourself, keep your existing route through Grafana Alloy or an OpenTelemetry Collector and opt in your AI spans with a single attribute.