Google announced Friday afternoon that it will invest $40 billion in Texas. Google said the funding will be used to support new cloud computing, artificial intelligence and energy infrastructure across the state, adding that new data centers will be developed in Armstrong and Haskell counties.
“This is an investment of unprecedented magnitude in the future of our great state,” Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement.
"Texas is a hub for artificial intelligence development, where companies can combine innovation with growing energy. Google's $40 billion investment in Texas is Google's largest investment in any U.S. state and will support energy efficiency and workforce development in our state."
U.S. Senator John Cornyn said Google's historic investment in the Lone Star State (Texas) is evidence of the state's growing status as a technology hub.
"From our commitment to reducing red tape and encouraging innovation, to our talented workforce, there is no better place to do business than the Lone Star State," said Cornyn. "I look forward to seeing the positive impact Google will have on our state in the years to come."
Of the three new Google data centers, one will be located in Armstrong County and the other two will be located in Haskell County.
Google said it will continue to invest in its existing Midlothian and Dallas campuses, which are part of the company's global network of 42 cloud regions that businesses and organizations "use to build and scale their own AI solutions."
The Haskell County data center will be built directly next to a new solar and battery storage plant, creating an industrial park in partnership with Intersect and TPG Rise Climate.
Google said the three new data centers will use advanced air cooling technology. The company also said it will provide $2.6 million to help the Texas Water Trade Organization create and improve up to 1,000 acres of wetlands along the Trinity River-San Jacinto Estuary.
Google will add thousands of megawatts of power to the Texas power grid and improve water security.
Google said it has added more than 6,200 megawatts of "new net energy generation and capacity" to the Texas grid through power purchase agreements with other energy developers, namely AES Corp., Enel North America, Intersect and X-Elio.
The company said it will deliver about 300 million gallons of fresh water annually to Southeast Texas as part of the Trinity River-San Jacinto Estuary Wetlands Project.
Google also said it will provide more than $2 million to support Texas agriculture, including regenerative agriculture projects in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and irrigation projects in the High Plains.
The company said funding from the Google.org Artificial Intelligence Opportunity Fund will increase the number of apprenticeships in the state and integrate artificial intelligence into training courses. Google says it will train more than 1,700 apprentices in the state by 2030.
Google said it has partnered with key sectors in the state to responsibly use and adopt artificial intelligence and will provide $7 million in grants to support the state’s AI initiatives in health care, energy and education.