Google has launched its new data center in Winschoten, Groningen, the Netherlands.

The data center expands the capacity of the company’s europe-west4 cloud region, which has existing data centers in Eemshaven.

Google broke ground on the data center, which is its third in the country, in December 2023. At the time, it was reported that the company would invest €600 million ($655.1m) into the new development, located at Hoogebrug 3. As of 2024, Google said it had invested more than €3.8 billion ($4bn) in data centers and digital infrastructure in the Netherlands.

The new facility in Winschoten is designed to support waste heat reuse for future district heating networks and has solar panels on the roof. It also uses “advanced air-cooling technology” to help reduce water usage.

“Digital infrastructure is the backbone of the digital economy, needed to fulfill the country’s AI ambitions. Our continued investments in technical infrastructure, clean energy capacity, and job-ready AI skills are directly ensuring that everyone in Winschoten and in the Netherlands remains at the cutting-edge of global tech opportunities,” said Marco Ynema, Google’s data center lead in the Netherlands.

“The opening of Google’s new data center is a critical development for our operations and for the entire Dutch digital ecosystem,” said Jan Baan, CEO, Omoda. “As a Google Cloud customer, this increased capacity, especially for AI-powered services, means we can innovate faster, maintain high performance, and scale our business with greater confidence.”

The cloud company has two other data centers in the country: Eemshaven, which opened in 2018, and Middenmeer, which opened in 2020. The company has also bought land at the Westpoort industrial estate located west of Hoogkerk, in the municipality of Groningen, for a data center, which broke ground in April 2024.

Across the company’s data centers in the country, Google employs around 700 people.

To date, Google says it has purchased 1GW of renewable energy generation capacity in the Netherlands, including a PPA with Shell signed in May of this year. The company also previously invested €45 million ($52m) in the construction of a water treatment plant that processes water from the Eemskanaal and supplies it to companies in the Groningen port areas for cooling, including Google’s data center in the Eemshaven.

Earlier this month, Google announced it would invest €5.5bn ($6.38bn) in data centers and office space in Germany.

Microsoft seems to be expanding in the Netherlands, having acquired 50 hectares of land in Middenmeer in September 2025.