Google has announced five new cloud regions at its Next ‘22 conference. Apart from Sweden and Norway it concerns locations in Austria, Greece, and South Africa.
The global network of Google Cloud regions till now consited of 35 regions, 106 zones, 173 network edge locations and 22 subsea cables available to serve customers in over 200 countries and territories. With these new regions, Google Cloud’s footprint will expand to 41 regions.
As more countries (and regions) get serious about data sovereignty, all of the major cloud providers will have to offer local regions in order to be competitive — and the software tools and controls to ensure that data stays in those regions, too. And while Google Cloud was notoriously slow to expand beyond its first core regions at first, the company has invested heavily in new data centers and the infrastructure to connect them in recent years. Details about timelines or precise locations weren’t shared.
Continued investment in Scandinavia
"As a global business, based in Sweden, we are pleased to see continued investment in Scandinavia, and Sweden in particular, and with it the continued and important progress of sustainability in the infrastructure world,” Tyson Singer, Vice President of Technology and Platforms of Spotify said. "As a cutting edge technology company, Spotify values its partnership with Google Cloud as an important part of our ongoing growth and innovation journey. Having our infrastructure managed for us streamlines our ability to concentrate on what’s important to our users and give them the experiences they know and love about Spotify."
Trusted connectivity
“Telia’s purpose is to reinvent better connected living", adds Allison Kirkby, Company President and CEO of Telia. "And, as the leader in digital communication services to Sweden, the Nordics and the Baltics, we take responsibility for ensuring our customers can rely on and trust the connectivity that enables them to live their lives to the fullest. The establishment of a new Google Cloud region here in Sweden will therefore support Telia’s purpose and commitment to being the most trusted provider of connectivity services to Swedish individuals, households and enterprises.”
Locally protect critical infrastructure
“The transition to carbon neutrality demands digitization of the energy system", says Jon Andreas Pretorius, Chief Information Officer of network operator Elvia. "Old and new actors in the energy space need the ability to operate together through real time data and shared analytics. Flexible and scalable solutions in the public cloud are decisive to solve the challenge. At the same time, it is more important than ever to locally protect critical infrastructure. A new Google Cloud region in Norway gives us the opportunity to solve both challenges. It is great news for the energy system of tomorrow.”
