Google To Expand Current Data Centers In Loudoun, Prince William Counties

RESTON, VA — Google, a tech giant with one of its headquarters based in Reston, is planning to expand its data center presence in Northern Virginia. The company made the announcement for a $1 billion data center expansion on Friday with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Ruth Porat, Google's president, chief investment officer and chief financial officer, said Friday that Google will invest $1 billion to expand its two Loudoun County data centers and a third in Prince William County. Google also plans to spend $2 billion for a new data center campus in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Google says its data centers support the company's products such as Google Search, YouTube and Google Maps as well as artificial intelligence innovation.

"The investments we've made to date are not only important investments in infrastructure, but they've also added 3,500 jobs in Virginia and they've supported a billion dollars in economic activity," said Porat. "We look forward to continuing to build on that we've done to date."

Google had first announced plans for its data center complex in Loudoun County in 2018. The first phase of two data centers was completed in 2019. Google said the data centers provide full-time and contractor jobs such as computer technicians, engineers, food services, maintenance, and security roles.

Loudoun County has the largest concentration of data centers, earning the nickname "Data Center Alley" for its large data center presence around Ashburn. Prince William County approved a large data center complex called Digital Gateway in the western part of the county, which drew a lawsuit from opposed residents. Opponents of further data center growth have expressed concerns about large electrical usage, environmental impacts and loss of neighborhood character.

In remarks at Google's Reston headquarters, Youngkin said data centers are associated with $2.2 billion in wages in Virginia and locally fund schools and other services through

"In Loudoun County alone, 25 percent of these essentials services are funded by the data center community," said Youngkin.

As reported by WJLA, Youngkin told reporters that "community engagement around data center development is hugely important" and that local leaders should work with data centers on concerns.

The governor acknowledged the power demands that come with data center growth. He pointed to his energy plan that supports using various sources to meet demand — nuclear, natural gas, renewable energy, and new energy sources. That differs from the Democrat-endorsed Virginia Clean Economy Act passed in 2020 to make energy utilities carbon-neutral by 2050.

Google has a goal to make data centers and campuses worldwide carbon-neutral by 2030.

Along with the data center expansion, Google announced a $75 million Google AI Opportunity Fund to train one million Americans in AI skills at no cost to them. The first recipients of the funds will be the Institute for Veterans and Military Families and Goodwill.

At the Institute for Veterans, 1,800 veterans and military families will take the AI Essentials Course, and over 2,000 will be enrolled in the Google Cybersecurity Certificate program. Goodwill has been working with Google's digital skills program since 2017, training 400,000 people to be placed into well-paying jobs. With the AI Opportunity Fund, job seekers with Goodwill can take the AI Essentials Course.