Google announces new European data centre
In order to strengthen its range of internet services, Google has said it will invest 600 million euro (£470 million) on a new data centre in the Netherlands. The announcement was made on Google’s Europe blog yesterday.
It will be located in Eemshaven – a seaport on the northern extremity of the country which is just a few miles west of the border with Germany. It will be the fourth data centre Google has erected in Europe, with facilities already operational in Ireland (Dublin), Belgium (St. Ghislain) and Finland (Hamina).
Like its three European siblings, the Eemshaven data centre will prioritise energy efficiency. Google said: “It will be free-cooled – taking advantage of natural assets like cool air and grey water to keep our servers cool. Our data centers use 50% less energy than a typical datacenter – and our intention is to run this new facility on renewable energy.”
Reducing unemployment, speeding up searches
As well as constantly striving to improve its services and environmental efficiency, Google now looks to address the problem of unemployment in Europe.
Google added: “The centre will create employment for more than 150 people in a range of full-time and contractor roles. The jobs do not require PhDs in computer science; they include IT technicians, electrical and mechanical engineers, catering, facilities and security staff.”
In addition to the full-time staff who will maintain the centre once it becomes operational, the construction of the facility itself will provide work for more than 1,000 people.
European data centres aside, the San Francisco-based search giant has nine more spread across the globe. Chile, Singapore and Taiwan have one apiece, while there are six in its home continent of North America.