Google to Invest 11.6 Trillion Won This Year in Expanding US Offices and Data Centers

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Google will invest $9.5 billion (approximately 11.6 trillion KRW) this year to expand offices and data centers in the United States. This amount significantly surpasses last year's investment of $7 billion.

According to Bloomberg and other sources on the 13th (local time), Sundar Pichai, Google's CEO, stated in a press release that the company will invest in campuses across the U.S., which will create 12,000 new jobs.

Specifically, Google will establish a new office in Atlanta and expand campuses in New York and Boulder, Colorado. Additionally, it will invest in data centers nationwide. This includes constructing two large office buildings in Mountain View, California, where its headquarters are located, as well as building offices and housing throughout Silicon Valley.

According to Google, the company has invested more than $37 billion over the past five years to build offices and data centers in 26 U.S. states.

CEO Pichai said, "While embracing more flexibility in how we work, expanding investment in physical office spaces may seem counterintuitive, but we believe investing in campuses is more important than ever and that it contributes to better products, improved quality of life for our employees, and stronger communities."

Due to the impact of COVID-19, Google had been operating remotely until last month but announced a return to the office starting this month. Accordingly, employees are required to work in the office two days a week until the end of this month, and three days a week (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday) until the 23rd of next month.