- Developing the UK’s opportunity by delivering fast, reliable AI and Cloud services
- Creating 8,250 new AI-driven jobs annually at UK businesses
- Advancing UK energy grid stability and capacity through a new agreement with Shell
WALTHAM CROSS, England, Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Google today announced the opening of its data centre in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, as part of a two-year £5 billion investment in the UK. Opened today by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, the state-of-the-art data centre will help meet growing demand for Google’s AI-powered services like Google Cloud, Workspace, Search and Maps that people, businesses and public organisations across the country use every day. More than 250 companies worked on building the facility – the majority of them local.
The £5 billion investment includes Google’s capital expenditure, research and development, and related engineering over the next two years – and encompasses Google DeepMind with its pioneering AI research in science and healthcare. The investments will help the UK develop its AI economy and unlock AI breakthroughs across the UK, fortify cybersecurity, and create future-focused career opportunities for millions of Brits. Google’s investment is projected to create 8,250 jobs annually at UK businesses.
Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer said: “Google’s £5bn investment is a powerful vote of confidence in the UK economy and the strength of our partnership with the US, creating jobs and economic growth for years to come.
“This government is reversing decades of underinvestment that has held us back for too long, by slashing burdensome red tape, delivering bold reforms of the planning system and investing in better tech to unlock better jobs and opportunities. Through our Plan for Change we are building an economy that works for, and rewards, working people.”
“With today’s announcement, Google is deepening our roots in the UK and helping support Great Britain’s potential with AI to add £400 billion to the economy by 2030 while also enhancing critical social services. said Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer, Alphabet and Google. Google’s investment in technical infrastructure, expanded energy capacity and job-ready AI skills will help ensure everyone in Broxbourne and across the whole of the UK stays at the cutting-edge of global tech opportunities.”
Demis Hassabis, Co-Founder and CEO, Google DeepMind, added: “We founded DeepMind in London because we knew the UK had the potential and talent to be a global hub for pioneering AI,” said Demis Hassabis, Co-Founder and CEO of Google DeepMind. “The UK has a rich history of being at the forefront of technology – from Lovelace to Babbage to Turing – so it’s fitting that we’re continuing that legacy by investing in the next wave of innovation and scientific discovery in the UK.”
Energy efficiency and capacity
Google’s data centres are among the most energy-efficient in the world. The company is committed to responsibly growing its infrastructure, while applying AI to increase energy availability and resilience in the communities where it operates.
Today, Google also announced it has selected Shell Energy Europe Limited (Shell) as its 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Manager in the UK, a pioneering agreement which will contribute to grid stability and the UK’s energy transition. Shell will manage a power portfolio for Google that addresses the intermittency of clean energy generation through access to battery energy storage systems (BESS). Shell will optimise Google’s existing clean energy portfolio, including the off-take from its long-term agreement with ENGIE from the Moray West project in Scotland, storing surplus energy when production is high and releasing stored power back to the grid when production is low. Between the Shell alliance and Google’s other clean energy initiatives, Google’s UK operations are projected to run at or near 95% carbon-free-energy in 2026.
The Waltham Cross data centre is designed to minimise its environmental impact. The facility uses advanced air-cooling technology to limit water usage to domestic use and is also equipped to support off-site heat recovery, meaning heat from the data centre can be re-routed and provided free of charge to help warm local homes, schools or businesses.
Job-ready AI skills for people across the community and UK
Google is also investing to support people across the UK to gain the critical AI and job-ready skills that support AI adoption. Google has trained more than one million Britons with skills in the past decade and is part of the industry group, announced by the Prime Minister in July, partnering to train 7.5 million people by 2030.
In Hertfordshire, Google is establishing a Community Fund, managed by Broxbourne Council, to support local economic development. The company is also providing direct support for local charities and social enterprises providing skills and employment services, including CHEXS, Community Alliance Broxbourne & East Herts, Hertfordshire Community Foundation, and SPACE Hertfordshire.
Councilor Corina Gander, Leader of Broxbourne Council, commented: “I am delighted that Google chose to open their data centre in the Borough of Broxbourne. The Council has worked closely with Google to maximise the positive impact of the development. Google is heavily investing in community-based projects and is making an important contribution to the local economy”.
About Google
Google’s mission is to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Through products and platforms like Search, Maps, Gmail, Android, Google Play, Google Cloud, Chrome and YouTube, Google plays a meaningful role in the daily lives of billions of people and has become one of the most widely-known companies in the world. Google is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. According to 2023 independent research, Google in the UK drives more than £118 billion in economic activity. [Google’s UK Economic Impact Report]
Editor notes:
Job projections
- All job figures are expressed as full-time equivalents (FTEs) and are projected for the 2026-2027 period. Impacts include direct, indirect, and induced effects calculated using an Implan methodology.
Supporting the local community in Broxbourne
- In addition to establishing a Community Fund, managed by Broxbourne Council, Google is directly supporting the following local charities:
- CHEXS (Community, Health, and Expanding Skills), which delivers AI and STEAM skills support to local young people
- Community Alliance Broxbourne & East Herts, which supports local voluntary and community groups and residents to enhance STEM and digital skills and employment
- Hertfordshire Community Foundation, which works with grassroots charities across the region
- SPACE Hertfordshire, which supports families of neurodivergent young people
Google’s approach to energy efficiency
- As a pioneer in computing infrastructure, Google’s data centres are some of the most efficient in the world. Our data centres deliver >6x more computing power per unit of electricity than they did five years ago.
- Today we’re pursuing a climate moonshot to reach net-zero emissions across all of our operations and value chain, which includes running on 24/7 carbon free energy (CFE) on every grid where we operate.
- Beyond our operations, Google is committed to improving local watershed health where we operate office campuses and data centres and replenishing 120% of the water it consumes, on average.
- Read more about how we are innovating across our operations and our supply chain here and in our most recent Environmental Report.
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SOURCE Google Cloud
