Dive Brief:
- Google is adding new or expanding existing offices and data centers in 14 states this year, according to an announcement by CEO Sundar Pichai.
- Offices are expanding or opening in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Michigan, New York, Texas and Washington. This will create thousands of job openings in sales, engineering, operations and other categories, according to Pichai.
- Google is investing $2.5 billion to expand old or build new data centers across Alabama, Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Oregon. Google already employs 1,900 individuals directly across its data centers, and continued expansion will boost construction, data center and energy positions.
Dive Insight:
As Google looks to grow its cloud platform, the heavy investment in more regional data centers is a natural path to follow. Google's cloud business hit the $1 billion per quarter milestone last quarter, and the company believes it is the "fastest growing major public cloud provider in the world." In 2017, it increased its cloud infrastructure market share by 1%.
With its fingers in a host of modern, advanced technologies, the cloud is not the only thing Google is pouring millions and billions of dollars into. The company kicked off 2018 with the announcement of an AI research center (and not to mention jobs) and new Google Hubs in France to train hundreds of thousands of people in online skills, and the company is steamrolling ahead with investment.
Big tech coming to new cities can mean major changes. It may not the full blown effects of what Amazon's HQ2 will bring, but as companies like Google spread their technology and manpower around the country it boosts the innovation and clout of non-Bay Area tech hubs — and not to mention the salaries in these areas.
In the meantime, if you live in one of those state's it's not too late to start Google's online IT certificate program and pick up some of the skills many of these positions will be demanding.
