Google to invest $9.5 billion in US offices and data centres this year

Google has revealed it will invest approximately $9.5 billion into its US offices and data centres in 2022.

Along with the investments, it plans to create around 12,000 new full-time Google jobs by the end of the year, as well as thousands more among its local suppliers, partners, and communities.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that it might seem counterintuitive to step up the company’s investment in physical offices even as it embraces more flexibility in how it works. However, he said the company believes that it’s more important than ever to invest in its campuses and that doing so will make for better products, a greater quality of life for Google employees, and stronger communities.

Pichai underlined that Google’s investments in data centres will continue to power the digital tools and services that help people and businesses thrive. He revealed that as Google works towards running offices and data centres on carbon-free energy 24/7 by 2030, it’s aiming to set new standards for green building design too.

“Google’s offices and data centres provide vital anchors to our local communities and help us contribute to their economies,” said Pichai. “In the US, over the past five years, we’ve invested more than $37 billion in our offices and data centres in 26 states, creating over 40,000 full-time jobs. That’s in addition to the more than $40 billion in research and development we invested in the US in 2020 and 2021.”

Pichai also highlighted where the new investments in the US will take place but didn’t specify how much money is in each location.

In Georgia, Google is set to open its new Atlanta office this year and continues to invest in its data centre in Douglas County. In Texas, it’s constructing its Austin office and continues to invest in its Midlothian data centre. Google is also continuing to invest in data centres in Tennessee, Virginia, and Oklahoma.

In the midwest region, it aims to continue to invest in data centres in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Nebraska.

Google also is set to continue to invest in its long-term office presence in New York and make improvements to our Cambridge and Pittsburgh campuses.

For the central region, it will continue to build its campus in Boulder.

Lastly, in California, the tech giant will continue to invest in its offices and support affordable housing initiatives in the Bay Area as part of its $1 billion housing commitment. It has also opened a new office in downtown Portland and is continuing to invest in its data centre in The Dalles. It will also invest in its Kirkland and Seattle campuses in Washington State.

It revealed that in Nevada, its data centre in Storey County is now operational, with plans to expand it, and it will invest more in its Henderson facility too.

The $9.5 billion investment is a step up from the $7 billion it pledged last year. In March 2021, the tech giant said that it would invest the money into existing office spaces and data centres around the US. It was also set to create 10,000 jobs as part of the investment drive.