Google announced on Monday the expansion of its footprint in Central Ohio, committing to invest another $1.7 billion between its data centers in New Albany, Columbus, and Lancaster.
Earlier this year, the firm announced that it would construct two new data centers in central Ohio, one in Lancaster and the other on South High Street in South Columbus, in addition to its existing data center complex in New Albany, bringing Google’s total investment in the state to over $2 billion. According to Google, as of May, it has generated nearly $13 billion in economic activity for businesses and nonprofits.
In 2021, Google promised to spend $1 billion to expand its data center operations in central Ohio.
Google said that this additional investment demonstrates Google’s dedication to Ohio and its continuous investment in technical infrastructure, which is essential to fostering the company’s long-term growth prospects.
Lt. Governor Jon Husted, Congressman Troy Balderson (R-OH-12), and Congressman Mike Carey (R-OH-15) also attended Google’s announcement.
According to Husted, he welcomes this additional Google investment in the state.
“This adds to the list of tech companies that are looking here to grow their operations. Ohio is establishing itself as a premier destination for technology investment, and it further strengthens our case that Ohio is becoming the tech capital of the Midwest,” Husted said.
Carey said “[t]his investment will strengthen our technical infrastructure and continue to secure Ohio’s standing as the state for innovation and job creation.”
Balderson said that this Google investment brings new opportunities to Ohio.
“The next generation will no longer have to pack up and move to one of the coastal states to land a high-paying tech job,” Balderson said.
According to Mark Isakowitz, vice president of government affairs and public policy for Google, they are proud to help fuel Ohio’s growth as a technology hub.
“Nearly every industry relies on computing power enabled by data centers – including health care, the public sector, manufacturing, financial services, and more as they grow and adapt to the digital world. Our continued investment in Ohio is a testament to not only the business environment but the strong community we’re building. Ohio is home,” Isakowitz said.
According to Google, in 2022, it assisted businesses, publishers, nonprofits, creators, and developers by contributing $13,91 billion in economic output. The company also claims to have awarded over $5 million in grants to nonprofits and organizations based in Ohio since 2006.
Additionally, Columbus City Schools are enhancing their middle school students’ career-technical education programs with the help of a $100,000 Google data center grant.
Ohio is experiencing a wave of significant investments from the technology sector.
Honda and LG Energy Solution are constructing a $3.5 billion battery plant between Columbus and Cincinnati, which the automaker intends to use as its North American electric vehicle hub. Intel is building a $20 billion chip complex just east of Columbus.
Data centers run by Facebook and Amazon are also located in the Columbus area.
The Columbus facility opened earlier this month and the Lancaster data center location will open later this year. According to Google, the data centers will support Google’s AI developments and tools, including Search, G-mail, and Maps.
The data centers are anticipated to provide an estimated 1,000 temporary construction employees and an unspecified number of jobs once the facilities are operational.
According to Isakowitz, the $1.7 billion will mean further improvements at all three data centers, but he did not elaborate on how the funding breaks down by facility.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Google Ohio Investment” by Jon Husted.
