Google London data center project has progressed from the initial construction phase into full operations, marking a major milestone in the company’s UK digital infrastructure strategy. The facility, located in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, officially opened in September 2025 and now forms part of Google’s broader £5 billion two-year investment program supporting artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital infrastructure across the UK.
The 33-acre campus now delivers additional computing capacity for Google Cloud, Search, Workspace and AI services while supporting the UK’s ambition to strengthen its position as a global artificial intelligence hub. The project incorporates advanced sustainability features, including air-cooling technology that significantly reduces water consumption and infrastructure capable of supplying recovered waste heat to nearby homes and businesses. Google also expects its UK operations to run at or near 95% carbon-free energy during 2026 through renewable energy partnerships.
The project’s completion comes as Britain’s rapidly expanding AI sector faces growing electricity infrastructure constraints. Unlike the newly operational Waltham Cross facility, several proposed hyper scale developments remain delayed because of grid connection backlogs.
One such scheme is the Essex Data Center, where developers are seeking alternative energy solutions after permanent electricity connections failed to align with the project’s construction schedule.
Google says the Waltham Cross development involved more than 250 companies, many of them local contractors and suppliers. The wider investment program is projected to support approximately 8,250 jobs annually across the UK economy while strengthening AI research, engineering and cloud infrastructure.
The Google London Data Centre location
Located in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, the investment comes amid a period of increasing regulatory scrutiny of the world’s biggest cloud providers. In October, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority said Britain’s £7.5 billion cloud services market is to be the subject of a full investigation over concerns that dominant players such as Microsoft, unfairly disincentivize customers from using smaller providers. It follows a market study into the sector by media watchdog Ofcom, which urged the CMA to investigate the major cloud providers more deeply.
Other Google projects in the region
This announcement builds on Google’s investment in offices with the US$1bn purchase of a Central Saint Giles office in 2022, the 1 million sq ft. development in central London. Furthermore, the launch of their Accessibility Discovery Centre, a project aiming to encourage the creation of accessible tech for the whole of the United Kingdom.
Google’s carbon-free energy future
Google currently employs 7,000 people in Britain and is committed to serving the community. They said that waste heat generated from the data centre would be an opportunity for energy conservation that can benefit the local community. Additionally, the company aims to run all their data centres and campuses on carbon-free energy (CFE), every hour of every day by 2030. In support of this goal, in 2022 the tech giant announced a power purchase agreement with ENGIE for offshore wind energy generated by the Moray West wind farm in Scotland. Further, this agreement will add 100 MW of energy to the grid and put the company’s UK operations on track to operate at or near 90% carbon-free energy by 2025.
“Google’s $1 billion investment is testament to the fact that the UK is a centre of excellence in technology and has huge potential for growth,” said the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.
“This new data centre will help meet growing demand for our AI and cloud services and bring crucial compute capacity to businesses across the UK while creating construction and technical jobs,” Alphabet Chief Financial Officer, Ruth Porat said in the Google statement.
Further details on the construction timeline or scope of the project have not been mentioned in the Google press statement.
Project fact sheet
Project name: Google London Data Centre (Waltham Cross Data Centre)
Developer: Google
Project value: $1 billion (part of a wider £5 billion UK investment program)
Location: Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Site size: 33 acres
Project type: Hyperscale cloud and AI data centre
Current status (2026): Operational
Official opening: September 2025
Primary purpose: Google Cloud, AI, Search, Workspace and Maps infrastructure
Investment program: Part of Google’s two-year £5 billion UK AI investment
Cooling system: Advanced air cooling with minimal water consumption
Sustainability features: Heat recovery capability and renewable energy integration
Energy target: Nearly 95% carbon-free energy for UK operations during 2026
Economic impact: More than 250 companies participated in construction; approximately 8,250 jobs supported annually across the UK
Project team
Owner: Google
Project developer: Google
Project operator: Google Cloud
Parent company: Alphabet Inc.
Managing Director, Google UK & Ireland: Debbie Weinstein
Google President and Chief Investment Officer: Ruth Porat
UK Government partner: HM Treasury
Opening officiated by: Chancellor Rachel Reeves
Renewable energy manager: Shell Energy Europe Limited
Planning authority: Broxbourne Borough Council
Architect: Not publicly disclosed
Main contractor: Not publicly disclosed
Structural engineer: Not publicly disclosed
Mechanical and electrical contractor: Not publicly disclosed
Civil engineering contractor: Not publicly disclosed
Specialist suppliers: More than 250 companies participated in project delivery.
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