Google to open in London's Tech City

The seven-floor building will be part of a new technological hub in London’s east end and will be located close to Old Street, also dubbed ‘Silicon roundabout’. The centre will be the first of its kind for Google and is due to open in 2012. It will not only accommodate the search engine giant but form a community of technology entrepreneurs who will provide support for London’s start-ups in the area.

 

David Singleton, engineering director of Google UK said: “East London is already home to hundreds of innovative British start-ups, and has huge potential for economic growth and new jobs over the coming years.”

 

The news follows Cameron’s plan to create a high-tech hub in east London and rival California’s Silicon Valley, announced in November last year. Welcoming technology giants to the city, Google was one of a number of companies named as foreign investors expected to boost Britain’s innovative entrepreneurs. The prime minister also named Cisco and Facebook as companies which supported his Tech City vision.

 

The chancellor, George Osborne, welcomed Google’s announcement as “great news”, and added: “It shows that we can create the right environment to attract start-ups and established high-technology businesses, supporting our programme to create new jobs, diversify the economy and create long-term economic growth. This shows that Britain is open for high-tech business."

 

Google is one of a number of international companies announcing their involvement in the creation of London’s tech city. Earlier this week Amazon announced it plans to open a free weekly ‘start-up clinic’ in the area for the city’s entrepreneurs, as well as providing training sessions on cloud computing for over 100 British companies.