Wednesday 10 April 2013

Google expands in Belgium | ZDNet


Charlie Osborne
By for Between the Lines
Internet giant Google is investing millions to expand its European operations.
300 million euros ($390 million) will be spent on the build, according to the AP. One of the firm's data centers, based in Belgium, will be upgraded to cope with increasing demand for online services.
The Mountain View, California-based company says that the data center, located in St. Ghislain southwest of Brussels, is one of many that cope with user demand for facilities including Gmail, YouTube and of course, its search engine. However, as demand continues to spiral for web-based services, the center has to be upgraded to cater for European consumers.

The facility became operational in 2010, after Google invested 250 million euros in the build. It is the first Google data center that runs through an advanced evaporative cooling system that draws grey water from a nearby industrial canal, keeping overall energy costs as low as possible.

Last year, Google announced that it was investing a further $184 million in its Hamina data center, which is based in Finland. The expansion project roughly doubled the original investment of this facility, and it is expected to take 18 months to complete.

Google does not only invest in brick-and-mortar properties or its own services, but has also backed ventures in renewable energy, including solar and wind power. In addition, Google Ventures has taken a particular interest in mobile and consumer interest technologies, as a recap of the VC's fund from last year reveals.

Source: http://www.zdnet.com/google-expands-in-belgium-7000013795/

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