Google Colab Enterprise

Google Colab Enterprise is built on the Jupyter Notebook framework and provides an interactive environment for coding, data analysis, and documentation—all within a single document. It allows you to write, run, and share Python code directly in your web browser without installing anything on your computer. 

Google Colab Enterprise is the recommended alternative to activating a (consumer) Google Colab Pro subscription. To gain access to Google Colab Enterprise, you will need to set up a Google Cloud Platform (GCP) project.

Colab Enterprise

Access Colab Enterprise 

First, you must set up a Google Cloud Platform (GCP) project in which to deploy Colab Enterprise.

1. Review the Guide to Stanford GCP Setup.
2. Submit a New GCP Service Request to set up a project linked to your department's PTA.
3. Once your GCP environment is ready, you can deploy Colab Enterprise. (See: Introduction to Colab Enterprise).

Additional Colab Enterprise resources: 

• Quickstart: To create your first Colab Enterprise notebook and learn how to run its code on a default runtime, see Quickstart: Create a Colab Enterprise notebook.
• Notebook gallery: The notebook gallery is a curated collection of notebooks to help you get started using Colab Enterprise. See the notebook gallery. These notebooks use ready-to-use templates and examples to make it easier to learn new techniques, to understand best practices, and to get projects started quickly. Browse the notebooks by category, or use the search bar to find a notebook that helps you get started.

Example uses of Colab Enterprise

• Machine learning and data science projects: Colab is widely used for training models, analyzing data, and prototyping algorithms.
• Education: Its ease of use and sharing features make it popular for teaching and learning Python, data science, and AI concepts.
• Research and prototyping: Researchers use Colab for fast prototyping and sharing reproducible research.

Colab Enterprise features

• No setup required: There is no need to install Python or any libraries on your local machine; everything runs in the cloud through your browser.
• Pre-installed libraries: Many popular Python libraries for data science and machine learning (such as NumPy, Pandas, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Matplotlib) are already installed, making it easy to start working on projects immediately.
• Collaboration: Users can share notebooks with others, allowing for collaborative work and, in many cases, real-time editing and commenting. You can share a notebook with a single user, a Google group, or a Google Workspace domain. You control this access through Identity and Access Management (IAM).
• Configurable runtimes: Use the default runtime or configure your own by creating a runtime template. When you create a runtime template, you can choose between any available machine type, add accelerators, and specify your disk space.
• Integrated with Agent Platform and BigQuery: Colab Enterprise is a part of the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform. Colab Enterprise's API methods are a subset of the Agent Platform API. This can save you time when you're managing access to Colab Enterprise resources or when you authenticate and authorize your notebook code to use Agent Platform.
• Write and edit code with Gemini: Users can use Gemini in Colab Enterprise to write and generate code in a Colab Enterprise notebook. Gemini in Colab will help fix errors in a user's code. 
• Idle Shutdown: Colab Enterprise runtimes shut down when they're inactive for a specific time period
• Run code interacts with Google Cloud services and APIs: By default, Colab Enterprise notebooks use your user credentials to authenticate and authorize code that interacts with other Google Cloud services. This means that the notebook's code has the same level of access to Google Cloud that the user does. This makes it easier to write and run code that interacts with Google Cloud services.
• Schedule notebook runs: You can schedule a notebook to run immediately for one time, or on a recurring schedule. Colab Enterprise stores the results in Cloud Storage for you to review and share with others. For more information, see Schedule a notebook run.
• Access Transparency: Colab Enterprise supports Access Transparency. Access Transparency provides you with logs that capture the actions Google personnel take when accessing your content. You can enable Access Transparency for a Google Cloud project if the project resides in an organization.
• Reserve VM resources: Use Compute Engine reservations to gain a high level of assurance that your Colab Enterprise runtimes have enough virtual machine (VM) resources to run.

Artificial intelligence features

Colab Enterprise integrates directly with Gemini for Google Cloud, through Gemini Code Assist to provide data scientists and developers with native AI capabilities. 

• Data Science Agent (DSA): Automates end-to-end data science workflows. The agent can generate multi-step plans to clean data, train models, and evaluate performance, all while asking for human approval at key milestones.
• Intelligent Code Completion: As you type, the integrated Gemini assistant predicts and suggests the next lines of Python code, significantly speeding up development. 
• Code Generation: Describe the function or data frame you need in plain, natural language, and Gemini will generate the complete code block for you.
• Conversational Chat: You can chat directly with Gemini inside the notebook to explain complex code libraries, brainstorm solutions, or get advice on specific coding steps.
• Automated Debugging: When your code throws an error, an "Explain Error" button appears. Gemini will translate the error into plain English and suggest specific code fixes to resolve the bug.
• Instant Code Transformation: Describe a change in plain English (e.g., "replace this for-loop with a vectorized operation"), and Colab will automatically rewrite and refactor the relevant code for you.
• Smart Visualizations: Automatically suggest and plot helpful data visualizations based on your data set without needing to write complex charting boilerplate.

Questions?

Colab Enterprise 

• For technical support and troubleshooting related to Colab Enterprise, visit the Colab Enterprise Documentation for setup guides and troubleshooting. 
• Create a Colab Enterprise notebook.
• Learn more about runtimes and runtime templates. 
• For enterprise billing help, use the Cloud Billing Support or check your system status on the Google Cloud Service Health dashboard. 

Center for Teaching & Learning  

• For consultative support about pedagogy, course design, and integrating technology into your teaching practice, please request a consultation with CTL.
• For ongoing engagement with diverse colleagues who work with educational technology, join the Academic Technology CoP mailing list and Slack channel.