On August 11, according to the latest report by industry analysis firm SemiAnalysis, Google may have put on hold its originally planned Gemini 3.5 Pro model and might be filling the market gap caused by the delay of its flagship model by promoting the Gemini 4 series in advance. Previously, Google had drawn attention due to the delayed release of Gemini 3.5 Pro, with reports indicating that the model still needs optimization in some key capabilities, especially in code-related performance.
At the Google I/O developer conference in May 2026, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai stated that Gemini 3.5 Pro was expected to be launched in June, but the model has not officially been released yet. Subsequently, during Alphabet's second-quarter earnings call, Pichai continued to emphasize Google's progress in cutting-edge AI and expressed confidence in the development of the Gemini series models.
SemiAnalysis pointed out that the current Gemini series is facing competitive pressure in some AI capability evaluations and believes its development speed lags behind some leading models. It was previously reported that Gemini 3.5 Pro briefly appeared on the Arena platform and was removed about 30 minutes after going online, sparking discussions about the model's testing status.
According to reports, Google's delay in releasing Gemini 3.5 Pro was mainly related to model performance optimization, including enterprise-level application scenarios such as code generation. Google has stated that the model is still in the testing phase and is being evaluated with partners.
If SemiAnalysis's assessment proves correct, Google may be adjusting the Gemini product timeline, allocating more resources to the next-generation Gemini 4 series to cope with the accelerating model iteration from OpenAI, Anthropic, and other AI laboratories. Currently, competition among large models has shifted from simply launching new versions to a comprehensive contest involving capabilities, costs, application ecosystems, and R&D efficiency.
