Google has announced that it has started building a new data centre on a site in Cheshunt.
Once complete, the facility will help to ensure reliable digital services for Google Cloud customers and Google users in the UK.
The new data centre represents an investment of $1 billion dollars into the UK and is a welcome investment into the local economy of the Borough of Broxbourne and Hertfordshire.
The centre is being built on the new Theobalds Business Park, adjacent to the new Council owned Theobalds Enterprise Centre, purpose built to house small and medium sized enterprises and business start-ups.
Councillor Lewis Cocking, Leader of Broxbourne Council said:
I am delighted that Google has chosen Broxbourne for its new data centre. This is a sign of Broxbourne’s growing importance as a hub for technology and innovation.
Through this development and others, this part of the Borough is attracting millions of pounds of investment which will improve the local economy and create thousands of jobs.
The Council is committed to working with our partners to make this, and other developments, a great success for everyone involved.
Ruth Porat, President & Chief Investment Officer, Chief Financial Officer of Alphabet and Google said:
The data centre represents our latest investment in the UK and the wider digital economy at large. This investment builds upon our Saint Giles and Kings Cross office developments, our multi-year research collaboration agreement with the University of Cambridge, and the Grace Hopper subsea cable that connects the UK with the United States and Spain. This new data centre will help meet growing demand for our AI and cloud services and bring crucial compute capacity to businesses across the UK while creating construction and technical jobs for the local community. Together with the UK government, we are working to make AI more helpful and accessible for people and organisations across the country.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:
The UK is a fantastic place to invest, and Google’s $1billion investment is testament to the fact that the UK is a centre of excellence in technology and has huge potential for growth.
Foreign investment creates jobs and grows all regions of our economy and investments like this will help to drive growth in the decade ahead. I will continue to back businesses to invest and innovate here in the UK.
