Google launches its first Polish cloud region

Google has officially opened its Polish cloud centre in Warsaw, the first facility in Central and Eastern Europe providing cloud infrastructure to companies based in Poland, as well as neighbouring countries.

"Poland is a very good investment site, especially in the field of new technology… also because of highly skilled employees," Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, said at Wednesday's inauguration of the Google Cloud Region centre in Warsaw.

Morawiecki said that many enterprises in Poland were switching to digital technology, and that digital solutions were the future of the global economy.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said that this is one of Poland's main attractions for IT investors.

Later on Twitter he thanked Morawiecki for the cooperation.

"Excited that we're launching a new @GoogleCloud region in Poland. Thank you PM @MorawieckiM for your partnership - look forward to helping unleash new opportunities for people in Poland and around the world," Pichai's tweet read.

US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip T. Reeker called the Google Cloud centre in Warsaw a further step in cementing US-Polish ties.

He said that Europe was the United States' biggest trading partner, and predicted that the Warsaw centre will prove to be a driving force for digitalisation in Central and Eastern Europe.

Bix Aliu, chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy in Warsaw, said the US was the biggest non-EU foreign investor in Poland with projects totalling USD 60 billion. Aliu said the USD 2-billion Google Cloud centre will help expand cloud services in Poland.

Google Cloud head Thomas Kurian said the centre was the first of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe, adding that the centre's access to the latest IT technologies could help rebuild the economy after the coronavirus pandemic.

The centre in Warsaw, the 25th such facility worldwide, will combine data processing with the provision of key Google Cloud Platform services.