Google will invest $40 billion into Texas to help expand Google Cloud, artificial intelligence and new data centers, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced at a press conference Friday.
The money, funded through 2027, would help create three AI data centers in Texas: two in Haskell County and one in Armstrong County. It would also continue investing in the existing 400-acre Midlothian site and its Dallas Cloud region, which businesses and organizations use for their own AI solutions, Pichai said.
“Texas has the optimism, the talent, the policy environment, and the innovation needed to lead this new era and create immense benefits for everyone,” Pichai said.
Pichai was joined by Gov. Greg Abbott in Midlothian at Friday’s press conference, who called the funding a “Texas-sized investment.”
“Texas will be the centerpiece for AI data centers for Google in the whole world,” Abbott said.
Abott said the investment has support from several state leaders, including Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. Ted Cruz.
Along with the data centers, a solar and battery energy plant with be built alongside one of the Haskell County locations. The company also announced $30 million will go towards the Energy Impact Fund and dispersed to local organizations and community partners focused on energy affordability.
The funding comes as part of Google’s ongoing partnerships with state colleges and universities, like Dallas College, offering AI training courses and Google career certificates.
The investment comes at a time of concerns about the impact of data centers on the environment and local communities. Last month, Fort Worth unanimously approved energy giant Black Mountain Power LLC’s request to expand its upcoming 431-acre data center in southeast Fort Worth.
Several residents previously voiced their disapproval, saying the project would hurt nearby businesses and natural areas. Some raised concerns over noise, light and air pollution the center would generate – and increased electricity use from a data center could strain local energy infrastructure.Data centers could also have a negative impact on Texas’ electric grid as they’re built faster than traditional transmission planning can manage, according to the Electricity Reliability Council of Texas.
One of ERCOT’s concerns is whether data centers could stay connected when the electric grid faces frequency or voltage disturbances. While a majority of centers are built to disconnect from the grid during a disturbance, a sudden loss of a large load on the grid, like a data center, could cause wider outages.
Penelope Rivera is KERA's Breaking News Reporter. Got a tip? Email Penelope Rivera at privera@kera.org.
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