Google readies Gemini 3.8 Flash as its engineers reportedly prefer it to Claude Opus
The reported coding model could arrive 20 days after Gemini 3.7 Flash, though Google has yet to publish benchmarks, pricing or a model card.
By RuntimeWire Staff · Published
Primary source: The Wall Street Journal
Why it matters
If independent tests support Google's internal preference, Gemini 3.8 Flash could give developers a lower-cost coding model for high-volume agent work while testing whether DeepMind can sustain its faster release rhythm.
Google could release Gemini 3.8 Flash as soon as September 2nd, according to The Wall Street Journal. Employees told the Journal that the model, known internally as "Skimaki," carries significantly improved coding abilities. Some said Google engineers preferred it to an Anthropic Opus model during head-to-head tests inside Jetski, Google's internal coding tool.…