Google announced the opening of its data centre in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, as part of a two-year £5 billion investment in the UK. The centre, which was opened on the 16th September by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, will meet growing demand for Google’s AI-powered services including Google Cloud, WorkSpace, Search, and Maps. More than 250 companies worked on building the facility.
The £5 billion investment include’s Google’s capex, research and development, and related engineering over the next two years, and will encompass Google DeepMind with its AI research into science and healthcare.
The investment will support the UK in developing its AI economy and unlocking AI breakthroughs across the UK, strengthening cybersecurity, and creating future-focused career opportunities for millions of Brits. Google’s investment is forecast to create 8,250 jobs annually at UK businesses.
“Google’s £5bn investment is a powerful vote of confidence in the UK economy and the strength of our partnership with the US, creating jobs and economic growth for years to come,” said Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer. “This government is reversing decades of underinvestment that has held us back for too long, by slashing burdensome red tape, delivering bold reforms of the planning system and investing in better tech to unlock better jobs and opportunities. Through our Plan for Change we are building an economy that works for, and rewards, working people.”
“With today’s announcement, Google is deepening our roots in the UK and helping support Great Britain’s potential with AI to add £400 billion to the economy by 2030 while also enhancing critical social services,” said Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer, Alphabet and Google. “Google’s investment in technical infrastructure, expanded energy capacity and job-ready AI skills will help ensure everyone in Broxbourne and across the whole of the UK stays at the cutting-edge of global tech opportunities.”
“We founded DeepMind in London because we knew the UK had the potential and talent to be a global hub for pioneering AI,” added Demis Hassabis, Co-Founder and CEO of Google DeepMind. “The UK has a rich history of being at the forefront of technology – from Lovelace to Babbage to Turing – so it’s fitting that we’re continuing that legacy by investing in the next wave of innovation and scientific discovery in the UK.”
Google has said it is committed to responsibly growing data centre infrastructure – noted for being extremely energy intensive for meeting the demands of AI applications.
It announced that it has chosen Shell Energy Europe as its carbon-free energy manager in the UK. Shell will manage a power portfolio that provides access to battery energy storage systems (BESS). It will make use of Google’s clean energy portfolio, including the off-take from its long-term agreement with ENGIE from the Moray West project in Scotland, storing surplus energy when production is high and releasing stored power back to the grid when production is low.
The Waltham Cross data centre uses air-cooling technology to limit water usage to domestic use and is equipped to support off-site heat recovery. In other words, the heat from the data centre can be re-routed and provided free of charge to warm local homes, schools, or businesses.