Google has announced plans to invest $9 billion in Oklahoma over the next two years, focusing on cloud and AI infrastructure.
The funding will support the development of a new data centre campus in Stillwater and the expansion of Google’s existing facility in Pryor.
Beyond infrastructure, the investment will be directed towards expanding educational opportunities and workforce development programmes across the state.
Google has also pledged additional funding for an innovative partnership with the electrical training ALLIANCE, aiming to boost the electrical workforce pipeline in Oklahoma by 135 per cent. This initiative is designed to help build the skilled labour force necessary for new energy infrastructure projects.
Earlier this month, Google revealed a further commitment of $1 billion for AI literacy programmes, research funding and cloud computing resources at US universities.
This includes the launch of the Google AI for Education Accelerator, an initiative offering free AI training and Google Career Certificates to every college student in America.
As part of this programme, the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University have joined the first cohort, granting their students no-cost access to Google Career Certificates and AI training courses.
“This is an extraordinary time for American innovation,” Google commented. “These investments will prepare Oklahoma’s students with critical AI and job-ready skills, creating a talent pipeline to power not only Oklahoma’s future, but also America’s AI leadership.”
