Is Gemini 4 Carbon available? Only to cyber defenders so far

Gemini 4 Carbon is not generally available yet. Google announced it on October 28, 2026, and says that starting that week a subset of cyber defenders can use it, with more trusted partners to follow. Everyone else, including developers, businesses and consumers, gets "soon" and no date, according to Google's announcement.

As of October 29, 2026, that means there is nothing to sign up for in the Gemini app or the Gemini API. The one route Google names is a program for security partners, described below.

Who can use Gemini 4 Carbon right now

Google calls the rollout limited and staged. The first users are a subset of cyber defenders. Google says it will widen access in phases to more trusted partners through the Fairwind Program, and that it is still collecting feedback and refining the guardrails before it brings Carbon to its general products.

The post does not say how many defenders have access, which organizations they are, or what the next phase includes. Google also says it is taking part in the U.S. government's voluntary pre-release model testing process.

How access works through the Fairwind Program

Fairwind is Google DeepMind's program for giving vetted partners early access to its models for cyber defense. Its page says priority goes to governments and national cyber authorities, critical infrastructure operators, core technology platforms and academic labs that do defensive benchmarking. Applicants are vetted for security history and ethical operations, and the page says the program works with more than 650 partners.

You apply through the interest form on that page. Approved partners must use phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication, limit access to internal security, incident response or penetration testing teams, and may not share or resell access. Use is limited to permitted dual-use tasks such as authorized threat simulation, reverse engineering and malware analysis.

One caveat. The Fairwind page, as we read it on October 29, names only Gemini 4 Argon as the model partners get. It does not mention Carbon. Google's announcement says Carbon will expand through the program, but the program page has not caught up. We could not confirm that an application today leads to Carbon access.

Gemini 4 Carbon price

Google's announcement gives a price, even though most people cannot buy access yet. As of October 29, 2026:

Google says the introductory price matches Gemini 4 Argon's, and that cached input costs 95% off the input price. The post does not say how long the introductory period lasts, and it does not link a pricing page for Carbon. Because the post names no API or plan where Carbon is sold, these are announced rates, not a product you can sign up for today. Our earlier comparison of Carbon and Argon covers how the two models differ.

How Gemini 4 Argon is available, for comparison

Argon, which Google launched two weeks before Carbon, is already out. Google's developer post on Argon says it is on the paid tier of the Gemini API, in Google AI Studio and in Android Studio, and that Google AI Ultra subscribers can try it in AI Studio and in Google Antigravity. If you want a Gemini 4 model today, that is the one you can use.

What we don't know yet

• A release date for developers, businesses or consumers. Google says "soon."
• Whether Carbon will reach the Gemini API, Vertex AI, the Gemini app or a subscription plan, and in which countries.
• When the introductory price ends.
• Rate limits, context window and model IDs. The announcement gives none of them.
• Whether Fairwind applicants who are approved today get Carbon or Argon.

The benchmark and safety numbers in the announcement, such as 88.2% on SEC-bench Pro, come from Google's own testing and partners. We covered what Carbon is built for in our report on Carbon for cyber defenders. To watch for the general release, check Google's Gemini blog and the Gemini API pricing page.