Google's Gemini 3.0: Missing in Action Amidst Fierce AI Race and Deprecation Spree

The much-anticipated Gemini 3.0, Google’s successor to its Gemini 2.5 Pro model previewed in March, is conspicuously absent from the public domain. This delay comes amidst a flurry of significant releases from competitors, including Llama 4, Quen 3, various Claude 4 iterations (4, 4.1, 4.5), and GPT-5, leaving the AI development community questioning Google’s next move.

Adding to the mystery, Google has initiated an aggressive deprecation schedule for numerous older Gemini 2.x API snapshots. Models like the specific numbered snapshots (e.g., 01-21, 06-17), 2.0 Flash, and the Flashlight preview are slated for deprecation between November 18th and December 9th. This consolidated deprecation timeline, reportedly adjusted from an even earlier, more unified November 18th date, suggests an internal readiness for a new release that has been subsequently postponed. While Google has released updates for its media models (V3), its large language model (LLM) segment has remained dormant. Internal sources within Google reportedly share the public’s uncertainty, with a continuous stream of unverified leaks and snapshots further muddying the waters.

The extended delay is attributed to several potential factors, including an alleged reluctance to release a model that might not immediately achieve state-of-the-art benchmarks against its increasingly sophisticated rivals. Concerns about the potential impact on Google’s market position and stock performance if Gemini 3.0 falls short of expectations are believed to be significant. Moreover, Google’s complex, vertically integrated structure – encompassing applications, models, inference platforms (like Vertex AI), and custom hardware – may be contributing to internal friction. Reports suggest a lack of alignment and communication across disparate teams like AI Studio, DeepMind, and Vertex AI, leading to development inefficiencies. Brief, accidental CLI access to a “Gemini 3 Pro preview 112025” that was quickly patched, combined with the inclusion of “Gemini 3.0 Ultra” in recent CLI JSON test files, indicates that the model is indeed in an advanced state of development, but its broader rollout remains elusive.