Google has announced plans to set up its cloud services infrastructure in Greece, promising to create nearly 20,000 jobs through direct investment and partnerships by 2030.
The Thursday announcement was welcomed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis who said the deal is estimated to contribute some 2.2. billion euros to Greece’s economy by the end of the decade.
Speaking at the Athens event for the presentation of Google’s investment plans, Mitsotakis said: “Investments, especially in cutting-edge sectors, are always our non-negotiable and fixed priority.”
Η ψηφιακή εξέλιξη μπορεί να γίνει εφαλτήριο προόδου για τη χώρα μας. Η επένδυση της Google μετατρέπει την Ελλάδα σε περιφερειακό κόμβο για την παροχή υπηρεσιών Cloud, δημιουργεί εθνικό πλούτο, αλλά και περισσότερες από 19.400 νέες, καλά αμειβόμενες θέσεις εργασίας. pic.twitter.com/IU5lXuk7IQ
— Prime Minister GR (@PrimeministerGR) September 29, 2022
“Not only because they create national wealth and new well-paid jobs and encourage young people to return to our homeland, but because they mobilise and modernise business activity as a whole,” he added.
Since taking office in 2019, Mitsotakis’s government has made moves to diversify the economy and attract foreign investment and high-tech companies to the country which emerged from a decade-long financial crisis in 2018.
During the Thursday event, the Greek Prime Minister went on to describe the deal as “another link in the chain of important business plans that were put into practice in the last three years”.
For her part, the President of Google Cloud International, Adaire Fox-Martin, said: “Today, we are very pleased to be announcing our first cloud region in Greece which will provide storage and cloud services for Google customers.”
Whilst speaking at the Athens event, she explained that the investment would enable organisations to better use their data, help improve low latency and ensure users’ security in the face of cybersecurity threats.
Honored to share a stage with @Primeministergr as he spoke about the importance of sustainable growth and digital transformation. Humbled to be part of the @GoogleCloud team that will help Greece transform its economy, putting the climate first. pic.twitter.com/mrDVt4huqV
— Adaire Fox-Martin (@AdaireFoxMartin) September 29, 2022
