Google not only released Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Lite today, but also gave an update about Gemini 3.5 Pro — and dropped a clue about what comes after that.
In a blog post accompanying the announcements, Google said that Gemini 3.5 Pro is currently being tested with partners ahead of a wider launch. The company also revealed that work on its next flagship model is already underway, saying it has “started our most ambitious pre-training run yet” for Gemini 4.
“Beyond today’s releases, Gemini 3.5 Pro is currently testing with partners and we plan to make it broadly available as soon as it’s ready. In parallel, our team is already focusing on building the next generation of models. We have started our most ambitious pre-training run yet, for Gemini 4, and are excited by the progress.”
The update offers the clearest look yet at Google’s roadmap for its frontier AI models. Gemini 3.5 Pro, which wasn’t part of today’s public releases, is now in testing with partners. If previous Google rollouts are any indication, that phase is typically followed by broader availability through Gemini, Vertex AI and AI Studio once the model is ready.
The mention of Gemini 4 is perhaps even more significant. Training frontier AI models requires months of work, enormous compute infrastructure, and multiple rounds of iteration before they are ready for public use. By saying that Gemini 4’s pre-training run has already begun, Google has confirmed that development of its next flagship model is well underway even before Gemini 3.5 Pro has reached general availability.
Google has accelerated the pace of AI releases over the last year. Following the launch of Gemini 2.5 Pro, which topped several AI benchmarks, the company has steadily expanded its lineup with models aimed at different price and performance points. Today’s release of Gemini 3.6 Flash and Gemini 3.5 Lite continues that strategy, while Gemini 3.5 Pro appears to be entering the final stages before launch. And it’s about time too — Google has dropped out of the top 5 labs on the Artificial Analysis index, and Gemini 3.6 Flash, while being cheaper and faster than its predecessor, didn’t make a dent either. Google would want that with Gemini 3.5 Pro, it moves closer to the frontier to again be in competition with Anthropic and OpenAI as it was for much of last year.