The news out of Taiwan today is that Google Inc. has officially broken ground for the construction of a data center in Changhua County that will be the largest of its three data centers in Asia. According to the report, Google will invest over US$300 million in the project, going over the US$100 million that was originally announced last September.
Google's Goes Green in their Third Asian Data Center
"First, I want to thank the government of Taiwan for such a forward-thinking and business-friendly environment," said Daniel Alegre, president of Google's Asia-Pacific division, at the ground-breaking ceremony.
With more new Internet users coming online every day in Asia, more than anywhere else in the world, Google is building data centers in the region to ensure fast and reliable access to all of its services, he said.
The Taiwan project will bring Google's long-term investment in data centers in Asia to more than US$700 million. The other two centers are located in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Economics Minister Shih Yen-shiang said that Google's decision to set up a data center in Changhua County will spur the development of Taiwan's Information and Communications Technology industry.
The move also indicates closer ties between Google and the country's hardware and software companies, Shih said.
On another note, the Taiwan Focus stated that Google Inc. would be incorporating energy-saving solutions into the design of its new data center in Taiwan, amid local concerns over a possible increase in electricity rates.
Google's Asia-Pacific division President, Daniel Alegre, confirmed on Tuesday that they've "taken that into account, into our investment in this data center, which is actually one of the reasons why we are very committed to a green solution to minimize our energy consumption." Alegre stressed that Google decided to set up a data center in Taiwan because of the country's "reliable sources" of electrical energy and power.
Source: Jeffrey Wu for Taiwan Focus
