CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A major multi-billion dollar investment from Google is coming to eastern Iowa. Governor Reynolds and Iowa members of Congress were all in attendance for the announcement.
Google shared on Friday, it’s going to invest seven billion dollars in Iowa, grow the role of AI and increase job opportunities.
Governor Reynolds was one of the speakers at the announcement and pointed out the work Google is doing to maintain sustainability.
This comes as the number of data centers in the state continues to grow.
“Google’s commitment to sustainability by pairing its data center operations with renewable energy investments is a testament to what responsible innovation looks like,” Governor Reynolds said. “ As a world leader in renewable energy, Iowa’s abundant wind resources and Google’s clean energy goals perfectly align to shape a sustainable digital future.”
Other state leaders, like representative Ashley Hinson, talked about the importance of growing AI use and innovation. She cited countries like China and the competition for new technology.
“This is especially important as we work to compete with China,” Representative Hinson said. “This is a battle we must win, and investments like this one will help us to stay ahead in this game.”
Google also announced a half million dollar investment in a partnership with the electrical training alliance to include AI learning and grow the number of apprentices in the state. Google’s President and Chief Investment Officer, Ruth Porat, said they want to include more home-grown talent in these facilities.
“We’re really excited that we are announcing a new grant to support the electrical training alliance, which is increasing the projected pipeline of new electrical workers in Iowa,” Porat said. “Iowa clearly has been at the forefront of change throughout history and we’re excited to ensure Iowa leads in this new era of AI.”
President Trump’s “big beautiful bill” includes AI guidelines. Senator Ernst said while guidelines are important, that shouldn’t stop innovation.
“I do believe in artificial intelligence and investing in that,” Ernst said. “We have got to do better about putting guardrails out there, but what I don’t want to do is inhibit us so much that we can’t keep up with our near-peer adversaries around the globe.”
This is the second data center in construction in Cedar Rapids. When asked about sustainability and energy usage, Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said the city has the ability to sustain the requirements of these data centers.
“This city has the capacity to support this data center as well as an additional data center. So, we’re really thrilled at the way that Google has partnered with the city to make sure that it aligns with our climate action plan and have every reason to believe that they will continue to work with the city,” Mayor O’Donnell said.
