On Thursday, March 18th, Google announced plans to invest more than $500 million in South Carolina, expanding its data center footprint in Berkeley County. Nationally, Google plans to invest more than $7 billion and create at least 10,000 new, full-time Google jobs across the United States this year.
“I believe a lasting economic recovery will come from local communities, and the people and small businesses that give them life,” said Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google and Alphabet. “Google wants to be a part of that recovery. That's why we plan to invest over $7 billion in offices and data centers across the U.S. and create at least 10,000 new full-time Google jobs in the U.S. this year.”
Google has called South Carolina home since 2007, creating over 800 jobs in a variety of full-time and external supplier roles. Google.org has awarded more than $2M in grants to nonprofits and organizations based in South Carolina, including through the local Google.org Impact Challenge Columbia. Grants to the Berkeley County School District (BCSD) and Fast Forward have provided free internet to households with school-aged children and technology education and computer access to underserved South Carolinians. Most recently, Google has been supporting distance learning during COVID-19 with computer donations, and the expansion of our Rolling Study Halls program, now Rolling Hot Spots, to support digital connectivity and remote learning for students in the Berkeley County School District.
Google also released their 2020 Economic Impact Report today, sharing how 23,500 businesses, publishers, and nonprofits in South Carolina used Google products last year to increase their online presence and connect with the people and communities they serve — generating $4.02 billion in economic activity in 2020.
