Gemini 4 Carbon Tops the Intelligence Index, Starting With Cyber Defenders
Google DeepMind has unveiled Gemini 4 Carbon, which it says ranks first on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index v5 and sets new bests in cybersecurity and long-horizon tasks.
It opens this week to trusted defenders through the Fairwind Program before a wider rollout.
The Gemini 4 family has a new flagship. Google DeepMind has introduced Gemini 4 Carbon, calling it its strongest frontier model yet. It says Carbon ranks first on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index v5 and posts the best results to date in cybersecurity and long-horizon tasks.
It will not reach everyone at once. This week Carbon goes first to trusted cyber defenders through the Fairwind Program, with broader access to follow.
Where it wins on the charts
DeepMind's comparison table has the numbers. Carbon scores 59 on the AA Intelligence Index v5.0, against 58 for Claude Opus 5.5, 57 for GPT-6 Astra and 50 for its predecessor Argon. The lead over the runner-up is slim, but a nine-point jump from Argon in one generation is not.
The gap is wider in security. Google says Carbon reaches 71.0% on the CWE-bench vulnerability-fixing test, ahead of the 68.0% managed by Argon and GPT-6 Astra, and 54.8% on the ExploitGym exploitation benchmark, where the other models in the table sit around 34% to 42%. On the long-horizon side, in the Vending-Bench 2 business simulation Carbon ends with a bank balance of $16,484, versus $13,718 for Argon.
It does not lead everywhere. On the OSWorld-2.1 computer-use test Carbon scores 81.5%, below Opus 5.5's 87.2%, and it trails Opus 5.5 and GPT-6 Astra slightly on FrontierSWE 2 coding. The picture is of a model that is especially strong on security, long tasks and knowledge work, not one that sweeps the board.
Why defenders get it first
A model that can find and exploit vulnerabilities on its own is a defensive tool and a potential weapon. The Fairwind Program exists for that reason: Google says it works with more than 650 partners, including governments and operators of healthcare and telecom infrastructure, and applicants go through background checks and must meet requirements such as phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication.
Google has run this playbook before. Argon went to Fairwind on September 30 and opened to developers and consumers on October 13. Carbon will probably follow a similar path, though Google has not said how long the defenders' head start will last.
For everyday developers, the practical move is to watch how Argon performs and decide on Carbon once it opens. Security teams, on the other hand, can apply to Fairwind now and get access sooner.