Google announced last Friday that it plans to invest $2 billion in building a data center in northeastern Indiana, which will support Google's artificial intelligence technology and cloud business.
According to the Journal Gazette, the plan to build the data center in Fort Wayne was announced as early as January. However, Google disclosed the cost of the project on Friday and said it is expected to create up to 200 new jobs, including data center technicians and support services.
The data center, located about 120 miles (190 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis, will support Google's "artificial intelligence innovation and growing Google Cloud business, providing services to global customers," according to a press release from Governor Eric Holcomb's office.
Google stated that the new data center will join its network of owned and operated data centers worldwide, which "keep the internet alive" and support digital services such as Google Cloud, Gmail, Search, and Maps.
Joe Kava, Vice President of Google Data Centers, said, "Fort Wayne and Google will work together to drive the future of digital, including artificial intelligence innovation in our enterprise and consumer services."
The day before Google announced this plan, Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing division of Amazon, announced plans to invest $1.1 billion in building a data center near New Carlisle, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of South Bend in northern Indiana. The project is expected to create at least 1,000 jobs.
