Google announced the opening of its cutting-edge data center in Groningen’s Winschoten. The facility will assist in meeting the increasing demand for Google’s AI-powered services, which are used daily by individuals, companies, and public sector organizations worldwide. These services include Google Cloud, Workspace, Search, and Maps.

Additionally, it will fortify the Google Cloud region in the Netherlands, which is a part of the company’s 42-region worldwide network that provides the high-performance, low-latency services that companies and organizations use to develop and expand their own AI-powered solutions.

Building on 25 years of investment and collaboration, the opening of this new data center is just another illustration of Google’s strong commitment to the long-term prosperity of Europe.

“Digital infrastructure is the backbone of the digital economy, needed to fulfill the country’s AI ambitions. Our continued investments in technical infrastructure, clean energy capacity and job-ready AI skills are directly ensuring that everyone in Winschoten and in The Netherlands remain at the cutting-edge of global tech opportunities,”

said Marco Ynema, Google’s data center lead in The Netherlands.

Google has some of the world’s most energy-efficient data centers. The company is dedicated to using AI to improve energy availability and resilience in the areas where it operates, while also responsibly expanding its infrastructure in accordance with its goal of 24/7 carbon-free energy.

The Winschoten facility is set up to facilitate off-site heat recovery, which means that any future district heating networks can use the waste heat it generates to heat nearby residences or businesses. The complex uses cutting-edge air-cooling technology and solar panels on the roof to restrict water use to household purposes.

Over one gigawatt of clean energy generation capacity has been supported by Google in the Netherlands thus far. For instance, this year the company announced a first-of-its-kind power purchase agreement (PPA) with Shell, which will be the first corporate PPA to prolong the life of an offshore wind farm.

More than 4.5 gigawatts of new clean energy generation capacity have been supported by carbon-free energy agreements in Europe since Google started buying renewable energy in 2010.