Google pledges US$9 billion to expand AI, cloud infrastructure in Oklahoma
ALPHABET’S Google said on Wednesday it will spend an additional US$9 billion in Oklahoma over the next two years to expand cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
The company will build a new data centre campus in Stillwater and expand its Pryor facility to bolster US AI and cloud capacity, alongside education and workforce programmes.
Intensifying competition among Big Tech companies has prompted them to spend heavily on building new data centre sites and skills development amid booming demand for AI services.
Google said that a portion of the spending is included in the capex plan for 2025 it previously announced, while the remainder is earmarked for the future.
Last month, Alphabet raised its annual capital spending plans to about US$85 billion from US$75 billion previously and signalled more to come next year.
Alphabet and its peers have defended their heavy AI spending as essential to fueling growth and improving products amid high competition from Chinese rivals and investor frustration over slower-than-expected returns.
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Google also committed US$1 billion to AI education and training for US higher education institutions and nonprofits last week. Rivals including OpenAI, Anthropic and Amazon have made similar pushes around AI in education.
More than 100 universities have signed on to Google’s initiative so far, including some of the nation’s largest public university systems such as Texas A&M and the University of North Carolina.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s onshoring push has also accelerated AI infrastructure investments by companies such as Micron, Nvidia and CoreWeave.
Apple also announced last week that it plans to spend US$600 billion in the US over the next four years. REUTERS
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