It may be that it was time for the hardware that was previously running Arxiv to be retired and this is just another Capex -> Opex decision being made by so many tech companies.

I'd like to know if GCP is covering part of the bill? Or will Cornell be paying all of it? The new architecture smells of "[GCP] will pay/credit all of these new services if you agree to let one of our architects work with you". If GCP is helping, stay tuned for a blog post from google some time around the completion of the migration with a title like "Reaffirming our commitment to science" or something similarly self affirming.

> If GCP is helping, stay tuned for a blog post from google some time around the completion of the migration with a title like "Reaffirming our commitment to science" or something similarly self affirming.

"Google pays to run an enormous intellectual resource in exchange for a self-congratulatory blogpost" seems like a perfectly acceptable outcome for society here.

> If GCP is helping, stay tuned for a blog post from google some time around the completion of the migration with a title like "Reaffirming our commitment to science" or something similarly self affirming.

This is an odd criticism. If a company is footing the bill, it can’t even talk about it to gain some publicity/good will?

https://info.arxiv.org/about/supporters.html

  Our Supporters
  ...
  Gold Sponsors
  Google, Inc (USA)

"Reaffirming our commitment to science" or something similarly self affirming.

While I understand that something is more genuine if done in secret, it doesn't stop being a real commitment to science just because you make a pr post about it.

If company X contributes to Y open source foundation, that's real and they get to claim clout, nobody cares about a post anyways.