Google to invest $750 million in Australia's tech future
Google announced Tuesday plans to invest $750 million in Australia’s tech future in the upcoming five years, ten months after threats of pulling the search engine out of the country.
This year has put the Big Tech giant’s affiliation with the Australian government under the spotlight, as Google threatened to extract its search engine from the country. The controversy following the relationship between the company and Australia has been highlighted with the Goolatest decision.
Branded the “Digital Future Initiative,” the $750 million investment Google is willing to pour into the sovereign land will be directed toward strengthening its digital infrastructure in the five years to come. It anticipates the creation of 6,000 jobs and funding 28,000 overall.
“We want to help Australia shape the next wave of innovations,” said Google CEO Sundar Pichai, in a pre-recorded declaration, revealing the investment plan.
He added that the funding will be directed mainly at creating Australia’s cloud infrastructure, which in return will develop Google’s primal research hub Down Under. In addition, the investment flow will sustain local partnerships addressing local and global matters, such as energy-efficient production and determining measures to safeguard the Great Barrier Reef.
The tech titan has also publicized plans to create a research center with Australian researchers and engineers and will team up with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) to empower its tech future.
From its part, it appears that Australian authorities have quickly let go of their quarrel with Google, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressed the investment plans as an “A $1 billion vote of confidence” in the country, adding its will “bring more STEM jobs to our shores.” STEM refers to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
“The decision by Google has major benefits for Australian businesses as we engage with the economic recovery before us,” Morrison added.
Experts believe Google’s tactic to change the tides with the government will benefit Australia’s tech future on a much larger scale, marking a remarkable victory for Australian innovation. In parallel, Google Australia Managing director Mel Silva endorsed the titan’s plan as it would lead to a much higher investment rate.
This pivotal moment marks a significant new harmonious path between Google and Australian authorities. In January, Mel Silva declared at a parliamentary hearing that Google Australia is contemplating whether to extract its search engine from the country, to steer away from the country’s latest law.
The new law forces Google and social networking operator Facebook Inc. to stop paying Australian news outlets to obtain news content published on their websites.
Despite the law’s legislation, Google halted back from its threat of extracting the engine but secured licensing deals with some of the country’s leading media companies. It is worth mentioning that Facebook also marched in Google’s footsteps.
Australian authorities have publicized actionable schemes to force famous internet companies to take legal liability for misleading users and defaming news on their platforms, a factor heavily opposed by the technology sector.