RENO, NEVADA – Today, Google announced plans to invest more than $400 million in Nevada this year to support its cloud and data center infrastructure at an event held at the University of Nevada, Reno. The company also announced a $500,000 contribution to the National Forest Foundation to enhance the resilience of the Truckee River watershed and reduce wildfire risk in the Tahoe National Forest.
Google’s investment will support its data center campuses in Storey and Clark Counties, helping meet growing demand for Google Cloud, AI innovations, and other digital products and services that people and organizations use every day, such as Search, Maps and Workspace.
Clark County is home to Google Cloud’s Las Vegas cloud region, part of Google Cloud’s global network of 40 regions that delivers high-performance and low-latency services to large enterprises, startups, and public sector organizations. Customers benefit from key controls that allow them to maintain the highest security, data residency, and compliance standards, including specific data storage requirements.
“Google’s continued investment is paramount to the tech hub that continues to grow across the state,” said Governor Joe Lombardo. “Nevada has established itself as a premier destination for technology investment, and this investment further strengthens the sentiment that we are becoming a tech capital of the West.”
“Our long-term presence in Nevada reflects our dedication to innovation and economic growth,” said Joe Kava, Vice President, Global Data Centers, Google. “By investing in our technical infrastructure and supporting local organizations, we’re not only enhancing our ability to meet growing demand for Google Cloud and AI, but also contributing to the state’s vitality.”
Creating Economic Opportunities
Data centers are the engines behind the growing digital economy. Today’s announcement brings Google’s total investment in the Silver State to more than $2.2 billion since breaking ground on its first Nevada data center in Clark County in 2019.
In 2023, Google helped enable more than $6.9 billion of economic activity for tens of thousands of Nevada businesses, publishers, nonprofits, creators, and developers. Additionally, the company has trained over 120,000 residents in digital skills in partnership with 60 local organizations such as public libraries, chambers of commerce, community colleges, and more.
Google has collaborated with a number of other Nevada-based nonprofits and organizations including Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, Sierra Nevada Journeys, and Washoe County School District to support Nevada’s students and residents to help maximize their potential through education and access to digital resources.
Supporting Forest Resilience and Watershed Health
Today, Google is announcing $500,000 in support to the National Forest Foundation to enhance the resilience of the Truckee River watershed by reducing wildfire risk in the Tahoe National Forest. This project, supported by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, will thin and remove natural fuels found in the forest to help retain water in the basin and reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfires.
This builds on the company’s commitment to improving local watershed health where its office campuses and data centers are located, including areas experiencing water stress like Storey and Clark Counties, by aiming to replenish 120% of the water it consumes. Google has invested more than $4.7 million in water stewardship projects in the Las Vegas Valley and Lower Colorado River Basin, and in 2023, replenished more water to the Colorado River Basin than the freshwater consumed at its Clark County data center.
“The National Forest Foundation is immensely proud to partner with Google as we work to reduce and mitigate wildfire impact on the Tahoe National Forest,” shared Mary Mitsos, President and CEO of the National Forest Foundation. “As wildfire seasons become increasingly challenging, collaborating with organizations like Google who are committed to the future health of our planet is key to protecting our public lands and the surrounding communities. We are grateful for Google’s support of this critical work on the Truckee River watershed.”
Leading in Clean Energy
Google data centers are among the most efficient in the world. The company is pursuing an ambitious 2030 goal to run on 24/7 carbon-free energy (CFE) on every grid where it operates, and to date has contracted with utility partners to bring over 450 megawatts (MW) of new clean energy resources to the state.
In June, Google announced a partnership with NV Energy to propose a Clean Transition Tariff (CTT), a new kind of clean energy rate that enables Google and other energy users to accelerate deployment of clean, reliable power that complements the power on the grid. As part of this structure, Google will purchase 115 MW of new, clean, around-the-clock geothermal energy which will help power its data centers in Nevada. Under the CTT, Google and NV Energy ensure that Google pays for any increase in costs, enabling all Nevadans to benefit from this investment without seeing an increase in their electric bills.NV Energy is the first utility to operationalize the CTT model, which can be replicated in many electricity markets across the U.S.
To learn more about Google in Nevada, visit https://economicimpact.google/state/nv/.
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About Google in Nevada:
Google has called Nevada home since 2019 and operates data centers in Clark and Storey Counties. The company has partnered with trusted community institutions across the state to bring digital skills training, grant funding, and other resources to more Nevadans. In Nevada, Grow with Google has partnered with more than 60 organizations to train more than 120,000 Nevadans in digital skills, including public libraries, chambers of commerce, community colleges, and more. Since 2006, Google.org has awarded over $2 million in funding to Nevada organizations and nonprofits. Since 2014, our employees based in Nevada – including matching contributions and philanthropic giving from Google.org – have donated over $1 million to nonprofits. Learn more about Google in Nevada at: g.co/economicimpact/nevada.
