Cindy Gonzalez
LINCOLN — Now five years since Google built a physical presence in Nebraska, the tech giant on Monday announced its latest annual spend on infrastructure across the state: $930 million.
The 2024 capital investment makes for a total so far of about $4.4 billion in Nebraska data centers to help meet growing demand for Google Cloud, artificial intelligence innovations and services such as the company’s search, maps and workspace programs, said spokesman Dan Harbeke.
Just within the past few months, he said, Google’s sprawling data center site in northwest Omaha became operational but is not finished growing.
Its newest data center project in Lincoln remains under construction on roughly 580 acres. And the original Google campus in Nebraska, a Papillion project that broke ground on 275 acres in late 2019, has continued to expand in various ways.
“We’re effectively continuing to build out those footprints,” said Harbeke, regional head of public policy and external affairs. “We are not announcing any new sites this year but we are announcing continued growth and expansion across all three sites here in Nebraska.”
Workforce development funds
Also during a news event Monday, Google announced a different kind of investment — philanthropic donations to support workforce development. Such contributions are separate and in addition to construction improvements, Harbeke said.
Google.org, for instance, granted $250,000 to the University of Nebraska Foundation to support AI research and education across its campuses.
Earlier this month, Google’s philanthropic arm also provided Creighton University with a $250,000 grant to support the private university’s efforts to prepare students for expanded uses of artificial intelligence.
Company officials on Monday also described a $100,000 donation to the Lincoln Public Schools Foundation’s Spark Summer Camp program, which targets elementary school students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics.
NU President Jeffrey Gold said the university gift underscores the shared commitment to harnessing the power of AI to ensure Nebraska is on the cutting edge of research, teaching and use.
“Our hope is that this investment in Nebraska will lead to opportunities for economic growth and innovation,” Gold said.
Earlier this year, the university system announced a new undergraduate degree program in generative AI, a collaboration between the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Lincoln campuses. In addition, all four NU campuses are actively building AI-related programs and are using the new technology to drive teaching and innovation, according to a university statement.
Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird said investment in programs such as Spark underscores the Capital City’s “growing reputation” as a place for innovation and opportunity.
“Google is helping to prepare Lincoln’s students and workforce for a rapidly evolving future,” she said.
Google officials declined to provide detail on how the $930 million breaks down between data center sites. They also declined to disclose the number of employees per site but in a media statement said more than 120 jobs for Nebraskans have been created since 2019, in a variety of full time and external supplier roles, including computer technicians, engineers, maintenance and food service jobs.
Harbeke said Google has started to see worker mobility and advancement within the state and the Omaha metro area, which includes the more established Council Bluffs plant.
“We’re five years into our Nebraska footprint … you’re seeing that movement among Googlers across these sites, which has been really neat to see,” Harbeke said. “One of the folks who is going to be leading our Lincoln campus worked out of our Papillion site.”
‘Global advantage’
U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., who joined Google officials Monday, said the Google technology investment gives the state a “competitive global advantage.”
“These are the jobs of the future and they’re coming here to Nebraska,” he said.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., called Google a driver for secure U.S. infrastructure.
“The importance of innovation in national security and AI between the public and private sectors cannot be understated and we’re working on that right here in Nebraska,” he said.
Karen Dahut, CEO of Google public sector, said the Google data centers are essential to delivering cutting-edge products to a wide range of organizations that include government and educational institutions as well as the individual consumer.
The computer-filled hubs are the engines that power technology and make local and global connections happen 24-7, Google said in a report about data centers. They are where Gmail and YouTube videos live. They are what keep the internet up and running.
“We are grateful for the partnership from leaders across Nebraska as we have grown within the state,” Dahut said. “I look forward to exploring more opportunities to bring the power of Google Cloud’s technology to support the important missions of the public sector.”