Governor Henry McMaster joined state and local officials both to celebrate Google’s 10-year anniversary in Berkeley County and to announce that the company has invested more than $2.4 billion in South Carolina. Google’s ongoing investment is one of the largest in South Carolina history. Google crossed the $2 billion mark with the August 2018 announcement of a $600 million expansion of its data center in Moncks Corner. 

Friday’s event at the Berkeley County data center followed a blog post on Wednesday from Google CEO Sundar Pichai announcing $13 billion in new Google investments across 14 states -- including South Carolina. Pichai wrote in part: “These new investments will give us the capacity to hire tens of thousands of employees, and enable the creation of more than 10,000 new construction jobs …”

“We are proud to have Google as a staple in our South Carolina community,” Governor Henry McMaster said. “It is investments, like theirs, that provide significant opportunities for our students, workforce and community. Google is a driving force throughout the ‘digital corridor’ and we couldn’t be more excited to see what this investment and growth will do for this local community.”

“Google is proud to be part of the Berkeley County family for over a decade,” said Lilyn Hester, Head of Google Southeast External Affairs. “Our continued efforts to be good corporate citizens while growing our economic footprint proves our long-term commitment to South Carolina and our employees who are based throughout the Lowcountry of the state.”

The celebration also recognized Google’s ongoing commitment to the community, highlighting its partnership with the MUSC C.A.R.E.S clinic, which provides health screenings in rural areas, and the Berkeley County School District, which launched the state’s first Rolling Study Halls initiative to provide wifi access for students to continue learning during their commutes home. Since 2009, Google has awarded more than $2.5 million to schools and nonprofits in South Carolina.