Internet giant Google is investing an additional $200 million in its new data center in Council Bluffs.
Google broke ground earlier this year on its second data center in Council Bluffs. Chris Russell manages the data centers. He says the expansion brings Google’s investment in Iowa to more than $1.1 billion.
“Iowa continues to be a welcoming place for Google, a place that thanks to teamwork, leadership, and hard work, continues to allow us to have great opportunities to build, grow, and expand,” Russell says. “We’re exceptionally proud of our products, our facilities, and how we manage them, but we’re also proud of our employees and the communities in which they live.”
Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan says Google has brought good jobs and technology investments to the city. Wi-fi is now available downtown and in a city park. Hanafan says the city and Google are also working on a project to bring wi-fi to the riverfront.
Google opened its first data center in Council Bluffs, a $600 million facility north of Lake Manawa, in 2009. That data center brought 130 jobs. The second data center is located just north of Highway 370.
The company also announced last week it’s investing $75 million in a western Iowa wind farm.