By Mauro Orru

Alphabet's Google said it would spend 5 billion pounds ($6.80 billion) in the U.K. over the next two years, the latest big-ticket commitment from an American tech company seeking to expand artificial-intelligence infrastructure and other services in Europe.

The company said the investments in AI, research and development and related engineering would help advance the technology, strengthen cybersecurity, and benefit the local economy by creating more than 8,000 jobs a year at businesses across the U.K.

"With [Tuesday's] announcement, Google is deepening our roots in the U.K. and helping support Great Britain's potential with AI to add 400 billion pounds to the economy by 2030 while also enhancing critical social services," Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer at Alphabet and Google, said in a statement.

Google's investment comes as King Charles III on Wednesday prepares to welcome President Trump for a state visit. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is also due in London, where he is expected to engage with British government officials and the private sector.

Google is the latest American conglomerate to announce a large-scale investment in Europe. Advancements in AI have ushered in a wave of spending from companies seeking to bolster their AI offering and satisfy growing demand for data centers that have become essential to power the technology.

Oracle said in July that it would invest $3 billion to expand its AI and cloud infrastructure in Germany and the Netherlands over the next five years. Microsoft in October unveiled plans to spend about $4.75 billion over two years in cloud and AI infrastructure in Italy.

Amazon.com said in June last year that it was planning to invest 17.8 billion euros ($20.94 billion) through 2040 to expand its logistics network and cloud infrastructure in Germany. The e-commerce company also laid out plans to invest 15.7 billion euros over the next decade to expand its cloud services in Spain.

Google's investment pledge came as the company announced the opening of a data center north of London at an event with U.K. Treasury Chief Rachel Reeves. The company said the facility would help meet growing demand for AI-powered services like Google Cloud, Workspace, Search and Maps.

Write to Mauro Orru at mauro.orru@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 16, 2025 04:49 ET (08:49 GMT)

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