Spanner Omni Reaches GA, Replacing Google's Atomic Clocks and File System with Software

Google has launched Spanner Omni, a version of its distributed SQL database that operates outside Google's infrastructure by replacing its atomic clock-based TrueTime and Colossus file system with software alternatives. This allows deployment on customer data centers, other clouds, or laptops, but without an availability SLA. The software substitutes maintain comparable performance by using local file systems and error-bounded time synchronization, shifting operational responsibilities to users.