Google says to invest 5bn pounds in UK ahead of Trump visit
Google is putting £5 billion into the UK over the next two years, and the timing is no accident. The announcement lands as President Donald Trump arrives for a state visit running 16–18 September, which the government is using to showcase fresh American tech money flowing into Britain.
Google to invest £5bn in UK ahead of Trump’s visit
What’s in that £5bn? Google says it covers capital spending, R&D and engineering, including work at London-based DeepMind. The headline is the opening of its first UK data center in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, which Chancellor Rachel Reeves helped unveil. The company’s pitch is straightforward: demand for AI and cloud keeps climbing, so it needs more UK capacity.
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There is a jobs angle too, though it’s worth reading the small print. Google cites an estimate that the wider economic impact will support about 8,250 jobs a year across UK businesses. That’s not 8,250 direct Google hires. It’s a projection of full-time equivalent roles in the broader economy. Still meaningful, but different from adding thousands to Google’s payroll.
The politics around all this are clear. During Trump’s visit, Downing Street rolled out a “Tech Prosperity Deal” with Washington. Alongside Google’s pledge, other U.S. firms trumpeted UK investment plans, all framed as a vote of confidence in Britain’s AI ambitions. Whatever you think of the optics, the package is real enough and puts a big number on transatlantic tech ties this week.
Energy is an awkward part of any AI build-out. Data centers draw serious power, and locals are right to ask how that gets managed. Google says it has tapped Shell to manage a UK carbon-free energy portfolio and battery storage that can feed surplus clean power back into the grid when it’s needed. That doesn’t settle every debate about emissions or grid capacity, but it shows they know the scrutiny is coming.
If you strip away the fanfare, the story is simple. Google wants to sell more AI and cloud services in Britain, so it’s laying the pipes and backing the UK talent base. Ministers get a headline investment to wave around while the president is in town. Whether this becomes lasting jobs and productivity gains will come down to the unglamorous work that follows planning approvals, energy hookups, and turning new compute into useful products and research. For now, it’s a chunky bet on the UK as an AI hub, announced at a moment built for maximum attention.
