Romanian PM proposes new data center in meeting with Google representatives

Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu had discussions with Google officials during his working visit to the US, during which he proposed the establishment of a data center in Romania.

“I believe we are entitled to have this. Microsoft has around 5,000 employees in Romania, Google about 500. We all know what having a data center in Romania means. Extraordinary! Google representatives told me that Romania has a huge pool of IT professionals, with our specialists being among the most highly regarded globally. I am confident that, by leveraging their talent and Google's top expertise, we will be able to launch the most ambitious projects in the field of new technologies. Furthermore, we will send a clear signal to other major IT companies looking to expand into Eastern Europe that here, in Romania, they find excellent business development opportunities,” Ciolacu said, cited by Profit.ro.

"The government has taken on the operationalization of the government cloud, and we will work together with experts and technology companies to achieve this. I will encourage companies and private companies in Romania to opt for these cloud solutions because they represent a significant competitive advantage in an increasingly competitive market," Marcel Ciolacu said.

In addition to collaboration for cloud services, the head of the Executive pointed out that Romania is extremely interested in identifying and developing cybersecurity projects, because Romania has one of the most advanced legislations in Europe in the field of cybersecurity, according to a government press release.

Three years ago, Google chose Poland for a new data center, investing USD 2 billion in it and expanding its presence in the cloud computing services segment. Google announced at the time that it wanted to create a "Google Cloud region," and CEO Sundar Pichai revealed a USD 3 billion investment plan to expand data centers in Europe within two years. At the same time, Microsoft announced a USD 1 billion investment in a data center for cloud services, also located in Poland. 

In Romania, Google Bucharest SRL, the Romanian subsidiary of Google, was included in 2016 on the list of online industry companies being investigated for reporting a profit of less than RON 2 million. However, Google's revenues in Romania are estimated at EUR 75-100 million annually, mainly from advertising, according to Profit.ro.

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(Photo source: Marcel Ciolacu on Facebook)