Google betting more than $400 million on Nevada tech infrastructure

Google is betting big on Nevada as the company pledged to invest several hundred million dollars on its tech infrastructure in the Silver State.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based tech company announced on Tuesday that it plans to beef up its cloud and data center infrastructure in the state by investing more than $400 million this year. The announcement was made during an event at the University of Nevada, Reno.

One of the areas that will benefit from the investment is Storey County, which houses a Google data center just east of Reno-Sparks . Also benefiting is Clark County, location of the company’s Las Vegas cloud region.

Google’s Nevada facilities play an important role in supporting the company’s services, including Google Cloud, artificial intelligence, Maps and its bread-and-butter Google search, according to the company. In 2020, the company also announced that it will invest $600 million on its data center at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center and another $600 million on its Henderson data center in Southern Nevada.

The latest announcement brings Google's total investment in the state of Nevada since 2019 to over $2.2 billion, said Joe Kava, vice president of global data centers for Google. The company has also generated an estimated $6.9 billion in economic activity in the state, Kava added.

In addition to the tech infrastructure investment, Google also announced that it will contribute $500,000 to the National Forest Foundation to help with environmental efforts for the Truckee River and Tahoe National Forest.

“Our long-term presence in Nevada reflects our dedication to innovation and economic growth,” Kava said.

“By investing in our technical infrastructure and supporting local organizations, we’re not only enhancing our ability to meet growing demand for Google Cloud and AI, but also contributing to the state’s vitality.”

The investment was welcomed by Gov. Joe Lombardo, who attended the event. Lombardo called Google’s continued investment crucial in growing Nevada as a technology hub.

“This investment further cements our state’s reputation as a new tech capital of the West,” Lombardo said.

Lombardo is the latest in a line of Nevada governors who have been strongly pushing to develop the state’s technology sector. Earnest efforts to push tech in Nevada started with former Gov. Brian Sandoval, who notched a big victory during his term when Tesla chose the state as the site of its first Gigafactory.

Sandoval has since transitioned into a new role as president of the University of Nevada, Reno, but the efforts from his time as governor continue to pay off for the state, he said. The latest announcement by Google is a reflection of that, Sandoval added.

“This is the new Nevada we envisioned when we did the first economic development plan to really diversify into new technologies and for Nevada to be at the forefront when it comes to technology in the country,” Sandoval said.

“We’re really thankful to Google for their confidence and trust in the state of Nevada and the relationship that we have with them on our university campus.”

This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: Google betting more than $400 million on Nevada tech infrastructure