The new data center that Google will build in Farciennes, Hainaut, represents an investment of 1 billion euros. The American technology company announced this.
Google starts construction of the new data center about sixty kilometers from Google’s first data center in Belgium. It has been in Saint-Ghislain since 2010.
Last month, Google received a permit to build a new data center in Farciennes, one of the poorest municipalities in Wallonia. The permit is subject to conditions, including those regarding the environment and mobility. Google will install solar panels on the building. The heat that the center produces ends up in a district heating network.
Google says the second data center should help meet growing demand for Google’s AI and cloud services. According to the company, the data center will create 100 jobs.
Google is also announcing an expansion of the data center in Saint-Ghislain, which should create another 100 jobs in addition to the 400 jobs that Google says it has already created there. A new solar park will be built on the site.