Google is investing $1.2 billion to expand its cloud infrastructure in Germany and is committed to using more renewable energy sources. Google is currently number three among the premier cloud providers in the world.
The CEO of Google Cloud, Thomas Kurian, is making it his mission to take the number two spot in the next few years. Google is planning to expand its infrastructure in Germany significantly, given how much money it plans to invest through to 2030. The company’s expansion will have Berlin as its center, as well as the town of Hanau, near Frankfurt’s DE-CIX data exchange.
The plan to use renewable energy
Google also plans to buy more than 140 megawatts of electricity from ENGIE Deutschland and says that 80% of the electricity will be generated using carbon-free methods. The ultimate goal for Google is to use 100% renewable energy by 2030.
The company Google chose will enable it to power its data centers and offices with clean energy every day as part of its Carbon-Free Energy target. The contract with Engie is a first of its kind in Europe, where a company is guaranteeing a 24.7 carbon-free power supply on an annual basis from solar and wind.
The push to be cleaner
Since 2017, Google has matched 100% of its global, annual electricity use with renewable energy. As the European Union makes its push into becoming a global tech power, Google’s moves seem to align, in some respects, with that of the bloc.
The 4-story building picked by the company to be its new facility is 10,000 square meters and was sustainably constructed with energy efficiency infrastructure while aligning with the protocols of the circular economy model for waste.
Meanwhile, as it makes its presence in Germany felt, Google is also said to be working on proprietary chips for future Chromebook releases.
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