Google has reportedly announced its latest billion-dollar investment in the United Kingdom for its latest 33-acre data center in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, Reuters reports.
Google says its latest data center is needed to support the growing demand for its services, innovation, and growth, such as business computing capacity, AI innovation, and reliable digital services for Google's cloud and other products.
The newest data center is also set to create new technical and construction jobs around the local community; Google reportedly stated that engineers, project managers, data center technicians, electricians, caterers, and security people would be needed but added that it was too early to determine how many jobs would be generated by the data center.
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This photograph taken on June 15, 2023 shows visitors shadows next to the American multinational technology company Google's logo during the Vivatech technology startups and innovation fair in Paris.
According to reports, Prime Minister Sunak praised Google's billion-dollar investment as proof that the UK is a technological leader.
Besides being sustainable, Google's newest data center will also be powered by renewable energy. In 2022, Google and ENGIE announced that Google's UK operations will run at or near 90% carbon-free energy thanks to a power purchase agreement for offshore wind energy generated by Scotland's Moray West wind farm.
Google's data center in the UK will also facilitate cutting-edge energy-saving initiatives, including air-based cooling systems and off-site recovery.
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Google's Growing UK Investments
The Waltham Cross data center is reportedly the latest investment made by Google's President and Chief Investment Officer Ruth Porat in the United Kingdom and the broader digital economy.
The company's Saint Giles and Kings Cross office projects, a multi-year research partnership arrangement with the University of Cambridge, and the Grace Hopper subsea cable that connects the UK with the US and Spain are all built upon this investment, according to Porat.
This investment also follows Google's free digital skills training to over 1 million people at more than 500 venues around the UK. As well as the tech giant's new AI-focused curriculum to Google's Digital Garage training program only last year to reportedly help more British people take advantage of the opportunities the technology creates.
UK's Technological Push
Reuters adds that Google's investment follows the British government's push for industry investment to help fund new infrastructure, particularly in emerging areas like technology and artificial intelligence.
The UK, as per Bloomberg, has been highlighting its science and technology as a sector "ripe for investment," with its Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt scheduling meetings with Amazon.com Inc.'s Andy Jassy, Open AI's Sam Altman, AstraZeneca Chairman Michel Demaré, Envision CEO Lei Zhang, and Novartis AG CEO Vas Narasimhan.
Aside from Google's investment, Microsoft also reportedly announced intentions to invest 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2 billion) in Britain over three years, including expanding the capacity of its data centers to support AI services in the future.
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