Tech giant Google recently announced it plans to invest more than $7 billion in offices and data centers across the United States and create at least 10,000 new full-time Google jobs in the U.S. this year. The company also plans to invest in communities new to Google and expand in others across 19 states.
“One of the best parts of my job is getting the opportunity to visit the communities that Google is a part of across the U.S.,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a company blog post. “Whether it’s meeting small business owners in Pittsburgh, congratulating graduates of our Google Career Certificates in Dallas, or visiting a classroom of kids learning to code in Oklahoma, these trips have always filled me with optimism and insight.
“Obviously in-person visits haven’t been possible over the past year. Yet I continue to be inspired by the stories I’ve read of teachers moving to virtual classrooms, local shops taking digital orders, and job seekers enrolling in online courses to sharpen their skills. It’s why I believe a lasting economic recovery will come from local communities, and the people and small businesses that give them life. Google wants to be a part of that recovery.”
Google’s investments will be widespread. The company announced it will invest over $1 billion in its offices around the country, including its home state of California. Pichai said Google will keep growing its offices that are outside of the Bay Area and plans to add thousands of jobs in Atlanta, Washington, DC, Chicago and in New York. In addition to its offices, Google will put part of its $7 billion investment towards data center expansions in Nebraska, South Carolina, Virginia, Nevada and Texas.
“Our data centers are what powers your searches, emails, photos and the maps that help you find the fastest way home; they’re also important to the fabric of local communities, from providing opportunities for supply chain partners and small businesses to supporting distance learning in South Carolina and Nevada,” Pichai said.
Where Google is investing in 2021
Pichai pinpointed exactly where Google is making investments this year in his blog post. In the south, the company is increasing its investment in its South Carolina data center and establishing its newest cloud engineering site in Durham, NC. It’s also opening the first U.S. Google Operations Center in Southaven, MS. Another new office will open in Houston.
Meanwhile in the Midwest, Google established its first Minnesota office in Rochester and data centers in New Albany, OH and Papillion, NE. On the east coast, Google has commited to double its New York workforce by 2028. Investments continue in its Cambridge, MA and Pittsburgh offices and the workforce in Washington, DC continues to expand. Out west, the Google team acknowledged more growth in Boulder, CO and opened a new office in Portland OR.
“In California, we will continue to invest in our offices in the state and support affordable housing initiatives in the Bay Area as part of our $1 billion housing commitment,” Pichai wrote. “We project that our $250 million investment fund will help create 24,000 housing units by 2029. In Nevada, our data center in Henderson is now operational, with plans to expand it, along with our Storey County data center, in 2021.”
Joe Dyton can be reached at joed@fifthgenmedia.com.
