HYDERABAD: Mutlinational technology giant Google is all set to build its largest campus outside its Mountain View headquarters in the US. Spread over a 7.3 acre site that the company acquired at Gachibowli in 2019, the campus will house a whopping 3.3 million square feet building.
With the largest campus is expected to be ready in a couple of years, Google plans to double its employee base in Hyderabad, which has been its hub for technical support, Google Adwords, Gmail, Google docs, Google mapping and YouTube support, among other things.
The new campus is expected to focus more on R&D and innovation, according to the company’s executives. IT Minister K T Rama Rao tweeted that he was “super excited to break the ground for Google’s largest campus outside of US”. He said the campus would stand out as a prominent landmark in Hyderabad.
The foundation for the building was laid by Rama Rao in presence of country head and vice-president of Google India, Sanjay Gupta and IT Principal Secretary Jayesh Ranjan, at Gachibowli, on Thursday.
The new campus prioritises sustainability and energy-efficiency throughout its design. Upon commissioning, it will offer a highly-skilled tech workforce a healthy, collaborative workplace that is both resilient and adaptable, designed to serve the city for years to come, Google said.
Telangana-Google MoU to benefit youth, women
Though Google set foot in India in 2004, and has its operational centres in Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Mumbai and Hyderabad, they are all running on leased premises. Speaking on the occasion, Rama Rao appreciated Google for having its largest presence outside the US, in Hyderabad, which has contributed to the growth of technology and shaping the image of Telangana.
MoU for Digital TS
An MoU was signed between Google and the State government on the occasion, to deepen their ties in the quest to achieve Digital Telangana, and to extend the benefits of the digital economy to youth and women entrepreneurs. Under the MoU, Google will collaborate with Telangana Academy for Skills and Knowledge (TASK), to provide Google Career Certificate Scholarships to youth in fields like IT support, IT automation, UX design, data analytics and project management.
With WE-Hub, Google will roll-out its Women- Will programme to deliver digital, business and financial skills to nano, micro and small women-led businesses and entrepreneurs across Telangana. Empowering children in public schools with digital education through Google for Education’s shareable devices and collaborative tools is another initiative, where education modernisation efforts for improved learning outcomes, with a focus on e-learning, will emphasise enhancing digital literacy for both students and educators.
Calling Hyderabad the ‘home’ which is very special for the entire team of Google, Sanjay Gupta said the MoU has only made it a ‘bigger home,’ so that the company’s belief in making Internet safer for a billion Indians, to which it stood for, could be achieved. He spoke about how Google has helped make information available for people looking for it during the Covid-19 pandemic, and how Google maps have helped the people locate their nearest vaccination centres.
Google Bolo App
He also spoke about how ‘Google Bolo App’ developed in its Hyderabad campus, had gone global, which was helping children learn multiple languages through stories, also mentioning how YouTube has been helping people tell their stories from the convenience of their homes.