Google rolls out Gemini 4 Hydrogen, finally replacing 3.8 Flash
Google claims that Hydrogen represents a major improvement versus the previous Flash model.
Key points
- This model has replaced Gemini 3.8 Flash across the company's products.
- It runs in one of four thinking levels (low, medium, high, and the new xhigh), and even in high mode, it's 2.5 times faster than Flash 3.8.
- Even when general availability began, Google restricted access to users paying for its most expensive AI subscription.
Google is continuing its elemental AI naming scheme with the new Gemini 4 Hydrogen.
These names are less descriptive than the Pro/Flash monikers of earlier releases, but Hydrogen's purpose is clear: It replaces the faster, more economical Flash models most people in Google's ecosystem use.
Additional details
- Users will also see gains in code generation, with Hydrogen more than tripling 3.8 Flash's score in Terminal-Bench.
- The limits for Hydrogen are much more relaxed, with access beginning immediately.
- In some cases, Hydrogen even trades blows with Argon.
- It managed a score of 54 in the popular Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index with xhigh mode versus 50 for Argon.
- With Google's recent Argon and Carbon releases, the rollout was staged and began with cybersecurity researchers.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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