
News
News | 5 min read
August 27, 2025
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY—Today at a community celebration with state and local leaders, Google announced it is investing an additional $9 billion in Virginia through 2026. The funds will be focused on cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, with the development of a new data center in Chesterfield County and expansion of the existing facilities in Loudoun and Prince William Counties. The company also detailed expanded education and workforce development programs for Virginians.
Google’s deep, longstanding investments in American technical infrastructure, as well as research and development, will help the U.S. continue to lead the world in AI. This will unlock substantial economic opportunity for American businesses, advance scientific breakthroughs, fortify cybersecurity for the U.S., and create new career opportunities for millions of Americans.
“Google’s $9 billion investment in Virginia is a powerful endorsement of our Commonwealth’s leadership in the AI economy. As AI becomes part of every aspect of work, this project reinforces our commitment to preparing Virginians for the future,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Investments like this not only expand Virginia’s cloud and AI infrastructure but also complement our efforts to build a future-ready workforce through initiatives like our AI Career Launch Pad. Together, we’re ensuring Virginia remains a top-ranked hub for AI talent and innovation, where opportunity meets preparation.”
“Google’s investment in Virginia underscores our Commonwealth’s position as a leader in technology, innovation, and clean energy,” said Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04). “This investment will strengthen our local economy, expand clean and efficient energy to keep costs affordable for consumers, and build new partnerships to prepare our workforce for the demands of a rapidly changing global market. I look forward to working with Google to ensure Virginians are ready to seize the opportunities this investment will bring.”
“Google’s decision to invest in Chesterfield County reflects the strength of our community and its reputation as a leader in technology and innovation,” said Jim Ingle, Chair of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors. “I’m encouraged by the meaningful engagement with Google already, focused on their approach to energy efficiency, responsible water use, workforce development and education.”
“With today’s announcement, Google is deepening our roots in Virginia; extending our investments across the state to help position Virginia—and America—for the opportunities technology can deliver,” said Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer, Alphabet and Google. “Google’s investments in technical infrastructure and AI skills development help to ensure that people across Virginia and across the United States have access to opportunity in this exciting era of American innovation.”
AI Infrastructure and Energy Capacity
Once the new Chesterfield County data center is complete, the facility will join the Loudoun County and Prince William County campuses as part of Google’s global network of data centers. Google operates some of the industry’s most energy-efficient data centers, and is committed to responsibly growing its infrastructure and applying AI to increase overall energy availability. Google continues to work closely with utilities, policymakers, and developers across the state to drive solutions for increasing energy capacity and affordability for all Virginians.
In the Commonwealth that includes investing in innovative technologies like fusion energy, expanded energy efficiency programs and regulatory proposals to ensure consumer costs remain affordable. Virginia is also one of 13 states served by the PJM electricity grid, where Google is collaborating with energy partners to significantly expand modern energy generation, including hydropower, and deploying AI technology to build a stronger, more resilient electricity system.
Expanding Virginia’s Workforce
As part of Google’s $1 billion commitment to American education and competitiveness, all Virginia-based college students now have access to the Google AI Pro plan for 12 months and AI training and job search support, all for free. In addition, the University of Virginia, Brightpoint Community College, and Northern Virginia Community College are among the universities in the country that are part of the first cohort of the Google AI for Education Accelerator, giving students, faculty, and staff no-cost access to Google Career Certificates and AI training courses.
This investment in preparing Virginia-based students with critical AI and job-ready skills is in addition to the ways we’re collaborating with Virginia leaders and organizations to create new training and job opportunities. Earlier this year, Governor Youngkin, Grow with Google, and Virginia Works announced the launch of the “Virginia Has Jobs” AI Career Launch Pad, offering free access to AI training to Virginians, and with Google funding, local organizations have already trained nearly 300,000 Virginians in digital skills. It also builds on the wide variety of jobs Google continues to create for the Commonwealth—from computer technicians and engineers to food service and security roles.
Driving Economic Opportunity
Google’s investments and technologies helped provide more than $6.3 billion of activity for tens of thousands of Virginia businesses, publishers, nonprofits, creators, and developers in 2024 alone. Technologies like Search, YouTube, Google Cloud, and Workspace are enabling growth for businesses and public sector organizations across the state, including Richmond-based technology company Tactiq, which is using Google Cloud infrastructure to streamline the multitude of daily interactions between grocery retailers and their vendors, and RichWine, which uses Workspace and Google Analytics to drive productivity and to enable their recent expansion to a brick-and-mortar store.
Learn more about Google in Virginia at g.co/economicimpact/virginia.