This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) is betting big on Virginia, committing $9 billion through 2026 to expand its artificial intelligence and cloud footprint. CEO Sundar Pichai said the investment will fund a new data center in Chesterfield County and upgrades at existing hubs in Loudoun and Prince William Counties.
This will go towards building a new data center in Chesterfield County and expanding our existing facilities in Loudoun and Prince William Counties, Pichai wrote on X. Alongside the buildout, Google said it will offer Virginians free AI and job-training programs to help prepare workers for the fast-changing tech economy.
The move underscores Virginia’s growing role as a backbone of U.S. digital infrastructure. For Alphabet, it’s both an infrastructure play and a chance to show it’s investing in communities, not just servers.
Shares of Alphabet ended slightly higher Wednesday and are up a little over 9% this year. For investors, the takeaway is clear: Google is pouring serious money into AI capacity to keep pace in the cloud race.
