BRIDGEPORT, Alabama (April 9, 2018) – Google executives joined Governor Kay Ivey, Congressman Mo Brooks and state and local officials at a groundbreaking ceremony today to mark the official start of construction on a $600 million data center that will bring as many as 100 jobs to the northeast Alabama community of Bridgeport.
Google’s Jackson County data center will feature state-of-the-art energy efficiency technology. Google has also committed to purchase enough renewable electricity to match 100 percent of the facility’s power consumption. It will be the company’s 14th data center site globally and the eighth in the U.S., the second new U.S. location since 2007. The project was formally announced on June 24, 2015.
“Google is committed to investing in Jackson County to create new economic and educational opportunities for the people of Alabama and the surrounding region.” said Dr. Nan Boden, Senior Director and Head of Global Technology Partners for Google Cloud. “As a native Alabamian, I am so proud to be part of the effort to bring this Google data center to life in the coming months and years.”
The Alabama data center will act as an engine for internet traffic, operating in a network that keeps the Google search engine and company products such as Gmail and YouTube up and running for global users 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Alabama officials said the Google data center will provide a major economic boost to the Jackson County area, beginning with hundreds of construction jobs as the facility is built. The data center’s highly technical workforce will number between 75 and 100, with the potential for growth in the future.
As part of its commitment to local communities, Google also announced onsite that it would be donating $100,000 to the Jackson County School District for the growth and development of the region’s student STEM programs.
“With this generous grant, Google has again proven itself a community partner and a supporter of the Jackson County School District,” said Kevin Dukes, superintendent.
“We are thankful for their ongoing support of our children’s futures and are thrilled that they will now call this area home.”
Google’s newest data center is being constructed on over 500 acres adjacent to the site of the decommissioned Widows Creek coal-fired power plant once operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Google is partnering with TVA to source renewablepower and will utilize the site’s existing electricity transmission lines to enhance the datacenter’s reliability and bring in clean power.
Be the first to comment