Google Ships Gemini 3.8 Flash and 3.8 Flash Cyber, Opens Fairwind for Defenders
On September 2, 2026, Google launched Gemini 3.8 Flash at the same $0.75/$3.75 intro price as 3.7 through year-end, plus 3.8 Flash Cyber for trusted defenders via the new Fairwind program—its third Flash in six weeks.
TLDR
Google on Wednesday, September 2, 2026 published Gemini 3.8 Flash and Gemini 3.8 Flash Cyber—third Flash in six weeks after 3.6 (Jul 21) and 3.7 (Aug 13). 3.8 Flash keeps intro pricing $0.75 / $3.75 per million tokens through December 31, 2026, then $1.50 / $7.50. Vendor: HLE-Verified 54.9%; DeepSWE v1.1 beats most larger frontier models at Flash cost. 3.8 Flash Cyber is defender-only via Fairwind (CodeMender harness). 650+ partners named (CrowdStrike, Palo Alto, Wiz, Snowflake). Google.org cyber funding now >$100 million; $36 million / 35 U.S. cyber clinics. Chrome Security: Cyber produced 2.6× more correct Chrome patches than the best larger commercial models. Wiz: +7.5–9.7% recall at 2.3–5.2× lower cost.
Two SKUs
| SKU | Access | Job |
|---|---|---|
| 3.8 Flash | API, AI Studio, Gemini app / Enterprise | Workhorse coding/agents |
| 3.8 Flash Cyber | Fairwind trusted defenders | Vuln discovery, patching |
Product-line de-dupe: not 3.7 Flash (Aug 13), not Omni 1.1 (Aug 27), not WeatherNext 3 (Sep 3). Analogous to OpenAI Daybreak Red.
Ranking: lab + partner (Wiz, Chrome). Check Artificial Analysis / Arena for 3.8 when listed; do not invent Index numbers.
Why this story matters
Google is iterating Flash every ~three weeks and splitting cyber into a gated SKU rather than putting Critical-tier tools on the public API. Watch: Fairwind vs Daybreak, and whether $0.75 intro holds past New Year.