Google to invest $10bn in US offices & data centres

Google will build 11 office and data centres across the US as part of a $10 billion investment plan.

The tech giant announced these new buildings will create thousands of jobs and provide opportunities for local businesses.

It follows on from the company's ambitious 2019 plan to invest $13 billion in rural states such as South Carolina and Nevada. Along with R&D funding, this made Alphabet the largest investor into the US, according to the Progressive Policy Institute.

The new investment will be used to build on that by adding 11 new sites in Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and California.

As an example of the impact Google's investments could have, CEO Sundar Pichai pointed to the company's data centre in Mayes County, Oklahoma.

"Last year, I visited Pryor to announce a $600 million investment, our fourth expansion there since 2007," Pichai said in a blog post. "It felt like the whole community came out to welcome us, from small business owners to teachers to Google employees.

"Pryor Mayor Larry Lees told the crowd that Google's investments have helped provide local schools with the resources they need - including the latest textbooks and STEM courses - to offer a world-class education. He talked about the small businesses we have helped train and the mentorship Googlers have provided to Pryor's students."

The new offices and data centres will create roles with Google, as well as jobs in construction and renewable energy facilities, the company said.

This is also further evidence of Google's relentless investment into its cloud business. Recently it announced the $2 billion acquisition of Looker, a data analytics firm and also Cornerstone Technology, a mainframe-to-cloud migration firm.