Google has announced a series of strategic investments across the United States and Europe, reinforcing its commitment to expanding its data center operations while advancing sustainable and technological initiatives.
In the United States, Google is launching a $2 billion project to develop a new data center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This initiative includes collaborating with Indiana Michigan Power Company to introduce clean energy solutions to the local grid, supporting Google’s ambitious 2030 goal of achieving round-the-clock carbon-free energy across all its sites. Additionally, Google has introduced a skilled trade career development program in partnership with Ivy Tech Community College in the region to enhance workforce readiness and support local job creation.
Concurrently, Google is bolstering its presence in northern Virginia with a $1 billion investment to expand its existing data center infrastructure. This region, known for its significant role in the global data center market, benefits extensively from such investments, contributing to local economic development and supporting numerous public and social services through substantial local revenue generation.
In Europe, Google continues to expand its footprint with a $640 million investment in a new data center in Groningen, Netherlands. This development, part of a broader €3.8 billion commitment to the Dutch digital infrastructure since 2014, focuses on sustainability and community benefit, promising to create 125 new jobs.
These investments underscore Google’s strategic commitment to enhancing its global digital services while advancing environmental sustainability and community engagement. Google’s sustainability moonshot has seen the company match 100 percent of its global annual electricity consumption with renewable energy purchases for the sixth consecutive year as of 2022.
Despite this achievement, the variability and regional availability of renewable resources like solar and wind necessitate occasional reliance on carbon-emitting energy sources. In response to these challenges, Google set an ambitious goal in 2020 to operate on 24/7 carbon-free energy (CFE) across all the grids it utilizes by 2030. This goal will include procuring clean energy to fulfill its electricity needs every hour of every day and enhancing the decarbonization of the power grids that serve its facilities.
