We provided over $700 billion in economic value in the U.S. last year — and helped people and businesses across the country.
For the first time ever, our Quantum AI researchers have experimentally demonstrated it’s possible to reduce errors by increasing the number of qubits.
Introducing Bard, Google's experimental conversational AI service powered by LaMDA — plus, new AI features in Search coming soon.
Our CEO reflects on his visit to India and the investments in AI that we shared at our Google for India event to make the country’s digital economy more inclusive, helpf…
Our CEO reflects on his visit to India and the investments in AI that we shared at our Google for India event to make the country’s digital economy more inclusive, helpf…
This week, we kicked off our annual holiday giving campaign. I always look forward to this time of year because it gives Googlers — our employees — a chance to amplify their generosity by directing some of the company’s funds to causes that are important to them and can make an impact in their communities. Every year, food banks, along with schools, are among the most popular recipients for giving back. Our employees have given more than $43 million to U.S. food relief organizations with Google.org’s gift match, as part of our $2 billion in giving since 2017.
This year, food insecurity remains a big challenge for many families across the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 10% of Americans were food-insecure at some time in 2021 — meaning they couldn’t be sure that they would have enough food for their family to eat.
One of the best ways to support families is to equip food banks, especially as increasing food prices and global supply chain issues stretch them thin. That’s why today we’re launching a new partnership with Feeding America and its network of local food banks and pantries. Our goal is to deliver 50 million meals, while strengthening food banks’ technical infrastructure for the longer term. We’re also launching new features in Search and Maps that make finding food support easier.
Google.org will contribute $10 million to Feeding America and 32 of its member food banks to help deliver 50 million meals to communities most in need. We’ll partner with these food banks throughout the month to host more than 20 volunteering events in communities across the country, to raise awareness and encourage those who can to give back. In one of those communities, Mesa, Arizona, Google.org has joined forces with Waymo to expand their food rescue program, and Googlers will help load a Waymo Via semi truck full of food to deliver to local food banks. Since May, Waymo Vias have helped transport more than 44,000 pounds of bread on behalf of nonprofits' food rescue efforts.
Volunteers at the local food bank in Fort Myers, Florida, help to unload fresh produce from a truck.
Google.org is also donating Search advertising to Feeding America and local food banks and pantries across the U.S. in order to connect them with people searching for resources or ways to give back.
Over the longer term, we'll continue to partner with Feeding America on its food bank network's technology infrastructure. This work will help improve things like inventory management tools — projects that are often deprioritized so food banks can meet immediate needs, yet are vital to ensuring that the right food gets to the right households at the right time. We’ll be lending our expertise to help close these gaps, creating volunteer opportunities for Googlers to put their skills to work.
One of the biggest ways we can make a difference is by helping people find information about food support in their communities. Last year, we launched Search and Maps features that make it easier to locate verified local food banks. These features also enabled people to find out more about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. And now if you search for "how to apply for SNAP" you can find information about milestones in the application process, including important details on eligibility and documents required.
Once approved for SNAP, many people use Electronic Benefit Transfers (EBT) as a payment method, and you can now search for "EBT" to find your local program's website, check your balance and find contact information to get support. Searching on Google Maps for "grocery stores that accept EBT" surfaces more than 180,000 USDA-approved grocery stores, convenience stores, farmers’ markets and other nearby retailers that accept this payment method.
It will take a sustained and coordinated effort to address the challenge of food insecurity. Working with Feeding America and its partners, we’re committed to raising awareness of this ongoing crisis, and encourage others to help, this holiday season and all year round.
Google opened our first office outside the United States in Shibuya, a neighborhood in Tokyo, back in 2001. Last year marked 20 years in the city — and in the Asia-Pacific region more broadly — and I am excited to be back this week. While here, I helped launch our new Pixel devices and met with leaders to share more about how Google can support Japan’s digital future.
Sundar presenting at the Tokyo Pixel launch.
Something that’s always inspired me on my visits to Japan is how people of all ages are using technology to improve their lives and help others. The last time I was here, I helped open our Campus for Startups, part of our efforts to support generations of entrepreneurs. And today I met with student developers from local universities. Some have already started their own companies, and others are using Pixel and Android to bring their ideas to life.
Our goal is to ensure everyone benefits from the innovation happening in Japan. Today, I was pleased to share the details of our new Japan Digitization Initiative with Prime Minister Kishida. We’re expanding our commitment to build infrastructure, provide digital training and opportunity, and support partners and nonprofits working to bring the benefits of technology to more people.
We’ll be opening our first data center in Japan — in Inzai City, Chiba — in 2023. This will give people in Japan faster, more reliable access to our tools and services, support economic activity and jobs, and connect Japan to the rest of the global digital economy.
The Chiba data center is part of a $730 million investment in infrastructure that began last year and will continue through 2024. That includes the Topaz subsea cable, which we expect to be ready for service in 2023, and will become the first fiber cable to connect Japan with the west coast of Canada. Our existing Google Cloud Platform regions, in Tokyo and Osaka, provide storage and services for Japanese businesses. And according to a recent Analysys Mason study, Google’s network infrastructure investments in Japan, both past and present, could enable an additional $303 billion in GDP between 2022 and 2026.
Google’s first data center in Japan is in Inzai City, Chiba Prefecture.
As we build this infrastructure, we’ll keep working to support Japanese businesses in other ways. Our Tokyo startups campus is helping Japanese founders build new kinds of businesses, many motivated by solving social and economic challenges — like helping with health diagnoses or increasing access to education.
We want to help Japanese people learn the skills they need to use technology confidently. Since 2019, we’ve supported 10 million people in Japan through Grow with Google, and adapted our training programs to people and businesses affected by the pandemic.
We’ve seen in Japan and around the world how the pandemic has accelerated the need for skills in specific, high-growth jobs, and we’ve created new kinds of training models to meet the increased demand. That includes the Japan Reskilling Consortium, which we launched in June. It’s a collaboration between business, governments and the nonprofit sector, providing skills training in areas like artificial intelligence and digital marketing and a job-matching service to help trainees find work opportunities. The consortium already offers more than 300 training programs with more than 90 partners.
We’ve also launched a new program to help Japanese companies develop a workplace culture that fosters innovation — with support from Google tailored to different businesses’ needs. We’ll keep building on these initiatives and partnerships from here.
Through Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, we’re committing $6 million to support Japanese nonprofits working to expand the benefits of technology.
As part of this effort, we’re providing grant funding to the Japan Foundation for Aging and Health to help them reach 50,000 older people, with a mix of programs focused on digital training, community building and employment support. We’re also supporting the Safer Internet Association in its efforts to increase media literacy in Japanese communities. Other organizations to receive support will be announced soon.
These new commitments complement the important work our teams in Japan do every day. We’ll continue to bring the best of our products, platforms and devices to the millions of Japanese people who use them, from making Google Maps more immersive to helping Japanese developers on Google Play. And we’ll continue our partnerships with Japanese governments and institutions harnessing AI to confront challenges like climate change and disease.
We look forward to helping more people in Japan benefit from the opportunities technology brings, over the decade ahead and beyond.
Editor’s note: Tonight our CEO Sundar Pichai received a Global Citizen Awardfrom the Atlantic Council, recognizing Google’s response to the war in Ukraine and support of refugees and displaced people around the world. Below is a video and edited transcript of his remarks delivered in New York City.
I am truly humbled to receive this award. It’s even more meaningful to receive it alongside such an accomplished group of honorees — congratulations to you all.
Above all, tonight we’re here to honor another group that deserves our focus: the people of Ukraine who continue to face unspeakable hardship, and those working tirelessly to help them.
People like Dimitri, an entrepreneur I met based in Kyiv. In 2021, Dimitri founded a startup to provide online mental health services. When the war began, he committed to offer mental health care to all Ukrainians — especially those who can’t afford to pay for it. He’s now reinvesting 100% of his profit towards that goal.
Or people like Tomek, a Polish journalist who shares his passion for science through YouTube. Seeing the disruption the war was causing to kids’ education, he worked with a teacher and interpreter to launch a new, Ukrainian-language science channel. It has meant that children forced to leave Ukraine could use YouTube to keep learning in Poland.
I’m also thinking of 10-year-old Yana, who left Ukraine with her family and enrolled in school in Poland. With the help of Google Translate, she’s made a new best friend, despite the language barrier. Yana and her family are among the 7 million refugees from Ukraine in Europe today.
The need is unprecedented. So is the response. When I was in Warsaw last spring, I was struck by how many Google employees were hosting multiple families in their homes. That was typical in the region, and the generosity continues today.
In the U.S., I’m inspired by the effort to welcome Ukrainian and Afghan newcomers. And again, it’s led by everyday people who are stepping up to help. The private sector can scale these efforts, and fill gaps with technical expertise, resourcing and innovation.
Google has long supported immigrants, Dreamers and refugees. Since 2015, Google has provided more than $45 million in grants and 30,000 hours of our employees’ time to help refugees. We’ve also directly supported refugees and newcomers through our products.
This is a cause that is embedded in Google’s DNA, and it’s one I care deeply about. More than 20 years ago, I immigrated to the U.S. When I arrived, I was met with open-mindedness, tolerance and acceptance — all of which helped ease my path. Looking back on that period of my life, what I remember most are the people who made me feel welcome. Because of them, I started to feel as much a part of this country as I did growing up in India.
It was my choice to come to the U.S. For refugees it’s often not a choice at all. That’s why we need to work even harder to make sure they feel supported on their journey. The opportunity to help more people feel welcome is why I agreed to co-chair the CEO Council for Welcome.US. It’s a nonprofit focused on welcoming Afghan and Ukrainian newcomers to the U.S. And the Council is a broad base of businesses, like Accenture, Amazon, Manpower Group, Pfizer and more.
We’re focused on helping refugees with initial resettlement, matching people with jobs, and raising awareness via our megaphone as business leaders. The goal is to create solutions that can be repeated and scaled. It’s especially important at a time when there are more than 100 million people displaced from their homes, a number that will only grow as the threats of climate change, food security and economic uncertainty increase.
As we build that global response, we have a responsibility to ensure people everywhere can benefit from the opportunities technology creates, be it creating the infrastructure that widens access, advancing technologies that can enable progress, or making sure the internet remains free, open and safe — for everyone.
Across all of this work, it’s important that we are actively addressing the challenges of disinformation, cyber attacks and other harms. Equally, we must also remain optimistic about the power of technology to improve lives.
I’m excited about the partnerships we’ve formed to do that across business, government and civil society — and with the leadership of institutions like the Atlantic Council, those we’ll create in the future. Look forward to working with all of you to expand opportunities and help people feel welcome wherever they are. Thank you.
