In a move that is expected to bring hundreds of jobs and boost the local economy, Google has announced a $1 billion data center project in Midlothian, Texas. The new facility will be part of the company’s “Google Cloud Region” in North Texas, which was established in 2022.
According to Yolande Piazza, VP of financial services for Google Cloud, the company chose North Texas due to its favorable business climate, talented workforce, and available land. “We look at things like the talent in the area, land, your electrical infrastructure. And then a big piece of that is a community that wants to partner with us,” Piazza said.
The new data center will provide computing power for various Google services, including artificial intelligence, Google Maps, and Google Cloud. However, the facility’s high energy consumption has raised concerns among some state leaders. Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has questioned whether the state needs large data centers that strain the energy grid during hot summer days.
Piazza addressed these concerns, stating that Google works closely with energy providers to manage its output and minimize its impact on the grid. “We work with them when we see pressure on the grid. How do we manage our output? It’s a collaboration. And we’re very aware that we need to be as responsible as everyone else in that space,” she said.
Senator Ted Cruz, who attended the announcement alongside Congressman Jake Ellzey, praised the project’s potential to create jobs and drive innovation. “The result was incredible. The wealth and prosperity and jobs,” Cruz said, comparing the impact of artificial intelligence to the internet revolution of the 1990s.
While the exact number of jobs created by the project is not yet known, Cruz and Google leaders predict it will be in the hundreds. The billion-dollar investment brings Google’s total investment in North Texas to $2.7 billion, including a $330 million project in nearby Red Oak.
