NEW ALBANY, Ohio (AP) — Google says it plans to build a $600 million data center in an Ohio city, part of $13 billion in planned investments this year.

Last December, Google affiliate Montauk Innovations said it was considering New Albany for a data center project in the New Albany International Business Park. The Columbus Dispatch reports Google did not elaborate further on its plans for the site in its announcement Wednesday.

New Albany spokesman Scott McAfee says the city is excited about Google’s investment in central Ohio.

Google’s project is the latest in what has been a string of data centers for central Ohio.

Information from The Columbus Dispatch.

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Google to spend $13B on U.S. expansion, with growth focused outside Silicon Valley, including in Central Ohio

(Columbus Business First) — Google will spend more than $13 billion on U.S. data centers and offices in 2019, CEO Sundar Pichai said Wednesday, marking “the second year in a row we’ll be growing faster outside of the Bay Area than in it.”

“These new investments will give us the capacity to hire tens of thousands of employees, and enable the creation of more than 10,000 new construction jobs in Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Virginia,” Pichai wrote in a blog post.

The company on Wednesday confirmed earlier reporting by Columbus Business First that it is building a data center in New Albany.

With the new investment, Google will be in 24 out of 50 states, Pichai said. The company’s workforce in Virginia and Georgia will double, he said, with new data center and office development there.

Google is also growing in New York, Southern California, Chicago, Nevada, Wisconsin and elsewhere, he said, detailing the company’s developments in those areas.

While Pichai emphasized that the company, a division of Alphabet Inc., is accelerating outside Silicon Valley, the search giant is also growing rapidly in the Bay Area, including with new campus developments around its Mountain View headquarters and nearby Sunnyvale, a planned urban campus near downtown San Jose and big leases in downtown San Francisco.

Pichai wrote:

“One year ago this week, I was in Montgomery County, Tennessee to break ground for a new data center in Clarksville. It was clear from the excitement at the event that the jobs and economic investment meant a great deal to the community. I’ve seen that same optimism in communities around the country that are helping to power our digital economy. And I’m proud to say that our U.S. footprint is growing rapidly: In the last year, we’ve hired more than 10,000 people in the U.S. and made over $9 billion in investments. Our expansion across the U.S. has been crucial to finding great new talent, improving the services that people use every day, and investing in our business.

Today we’re announcing over $13 billion in investments throughout 2019 in data centers and offices across the U.S., with major expansions in 14 states. These new investments will give us the capacity to hire tens of thousands of employees, and enable the creation of more than 10,000 new construction jobs in Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Virginia. With this new investment, Google will now have a home in 24 total states, including data centers in 13 communities. 2019 marks the second year in a row we’ll be growing faster outside of the Bay Area than in it.

This growth will allow us to invest in the communities where we operate, while we improve the products and services that help billions of people and businesses globally. Our new data center investments, in particular, will enhance our ability to provide the fastest and most reliable services for all our users and customers. As part of our commitment to our 100 percent renewable energy purchasing, we’re also making significant renewable energy investments in the U.S. as we grow. Our data centers make a significant economic contribution to local communities, as do the associated $5 billion in energy investments that our energy purchasing supports.”

By Marlize van Romburgh
From Columbus Business First

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Google to go ahead with $600 million data center in New Albany

NEW ALBANY, Ohio (Columbus Dispatch) — Google confirmed Wednesday that it plans to develop a $600-million data center in New Albany this year.

The project is among $13 billion in investments in data centers and offices that Google plans this year, the company said.

Last December, Google affiliate Montauk Innovations said it was considering New Albany for the project in the New Albany International Business Park. Property records show the company has bought 447 acres in Franklin and Licking counties for $54.5 million.

Google would not elaborate Wednesday on its plans for the site beyond the blog post released by Google CEO Sundar Pichai that notes an Ohio investment.

New Albany spokesman Scott McAfee confirmed that the Ohio location is the data center proposed for the west side of Beech Road, south of the state Route 161 interchange.

“We’re very excited about their investment in New Albany, in the central Ohio region and the state of Ohio,” McAfee said.

By Mark Williams
From The Columbus Dispatch