Google invests $1 Billion in a new UK Data Center

Google UK Data Center

People and businesses across the United Kingdom heavily depend on data centers, which play a pivotal role in supporting essential services such as Search, Maps, YouTube, Workspace, and Google Cloud. With the increasing engagement in the digital economy and the exploration of new opportunities for AI-driven technologies to enhance productivity, foster creativity, improve health outcomes, and facilitate scientific discoveries, it becomes imperative to invest in the necessary technical infrastructure to drive innovation and technological growth.

In line with this commitment, Google is earmarking a substantial investment of $1 billion in a new data center located in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, UK. Spanning 33 acres, this site will not only contribute to the local community by creating job opportunities in construction and technology but will also significantly enhance computing capacity for businesses nationwide. The investment aims to bolster AI innovation and ensure the provision of reliable digital services to Google Cloud customers and users both in the UK and globally.

Google, renowned for its prowess in computing infrastructure, has set an ambitious target to power all its data centers and campuses with carbon-free energy (CFE) around the clock by 2030. As part of this endeavor, a power purchase agreement was established in 2022 with ENGIE for offshore wind energy from the Moray West wind farm in Scotland. This agreement is set to inject 100 MW of energy into the grid, propelling Google’s UK operations toward operating at or near 90% carbon-free energy by 2025.

Moreover, Google is actively exploring innovative ways to harness the heat generated by data centers. The new facility in Waltham Cross will incorporate provisions for off-site heat recovery, contributing to energy conservation and benefiting the local community by redirecting the captured heat to nearby homes and businesses. The data center will also feature an air-based cooling system.

The commitment to sustainability is a key factor that attracts British customers like Rightmove to choose Google for their cloud computing requirements. Rightmove, having migrated its services to Google Cloud to advance its sustainability goals, acknowledges Google’s dedication to decarbonization and the development of sustainable data centers as crucial elements in reducing the carbon footprint of digital infrastructure and supporting their journey towards achieving net-zero emissions.