The APAC expansion complements Google Cloud’s AMEA and LATAM buildouts
Google Cloud announced this week plans to set up new regions in Malaysia, Thailand and New Zealand. The expansion will help to address burgeoning cloud demand in those countries and will address data residency and compliance standards, the company said.
Google Cloud logically separates its physical infrastructure into global regions. The company presently operates 34 regions globally. Regions comprise zones, or deployment areas, for Google Cloud resources. Google Cloud encourages customers to view zones as single failure domains; using multiple domains, Google Cloud customers can help to mitigate unexpected failures.
Malaysia, Thailand and New Zealand are only the latest international expansion points for Google Cloud in 2022. The company has already announced expansions with six other international regions. Its European footprint includes new Berlin and Turin, Italy zones. The company announced plans to expand its Italian presence to Turin in June, after opening its first Italy region in Milan. There’s a new Google Cloud Mexico region, marking the third time Google Cloud has expanded its Latin America footprint; it already operates regions in Santiago, Chile and São Paulo, Brazil.
What’s more, Google Cloud is also expanding into the Middle East for the first time, with regions in Tel Aviv, Israel, Doha, Qatar and Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Google Cloud also opened its tenth North American region in Columbus, Ohio earlier this year, and announced plans to expand into Dallas, Texas.
The expansions are part of the company’s planned global infrastructure push announced in December. Google Cloud also emphasizes its green credentials, claiming to operate “the greenest cloud in the industry.” Google has claimed carbon-neutrality since 2007, and said it’s working on using 100% carbon-free energy by 2030.
For Google Cloud, sustainability is more than just about its own carbon footprint. It’s also put tools and services in its own customers’ hands to help use energy more efficiently. At its Sustainability Summit earlier this year, Google Cloud unveiled “sustainable transformation” tools including a pilot program that helps Google Cloud customers understand their own services’ cloud footprint, and expanded emissions reporting data based on World Resources Institute standards.
Google’s parent company Alphabet narrowly missed Wall Street earnings expectations when it reported in second-quarter results in late July. The company reported $69.69 billion in revenue, 13% higher year over year, mostly in line with estimates. Net income was $16 billion, or $1.21 per share, lower than the $1.27 estimate predicted. Operating income was $19.4 billion, $1 billion short of Wall Street estimates.
Search and cloud services are driving the business forward, according to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, who said the company is focused on hiring workforce into critical roles to improve productivity and address long-term strategic priorities.
