Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is the cloud computing suite built on the same infrastructure that runs Google Search, Gmail, and YouTube. It gives you somewhere to run code, store data, and call AI models without managing your own servers. For a legal AI build, that means you can host your app, keep your documents in a managed database, and reach Gemini models through Vertex AI, all from one place.
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GCP is the layer your project can actually run on. Some ideas on where it fits:
Somewhere to deploy. Cloud Run takes the app your team builds and puts it on a public URL in minutes, so your demo is a live link rather than something running on one laptop.
Useful in combination with: Lovable, Momen, Claude Code.
A home for your data. BigQuery and AlloyDB hold large document sets and let you query them fast, which matters when you are working with case files or legislation pulled from the Cellar API.
Useful in combination with: Cellar API, Neo4j.
Models without a separate provider. Vertex AI gives you Gemini models through the same account you are already using for hosting and storage, so your retrieval, reasoning, and frontend all sit in one project.
Useful in combination with: Perplexity (live search), NVIDIA (open models).
You will work in temporary, pre-configured GCP projects set up for the event. A "Frictionless accounts" document with specific instructions for accessing and using the temporary accounts will be shared with you.
⚠️ Important. Because of the risks of leaking credentials, these environments do not allow the generation of a private key from a service account. Do follow good development and security practices: non-secure HTTP ports, databases open on the internet, and use of PHP will all be detected and reported, and may cause a project suspension. Any excess usage that violates the rules of engagement will lead to a suspension of all resources for the event.