Explore our photo gallery

These colorful booths at our New Albany data center campus in Central Ohio are located in the hub, which also houses office space, our control room and security operations center, and a cafeteria, gym, and yoga studio.

During meal times, the main cafeteria on our New Albany data center campus in Central Ohio is a busy center of activity.

On a beautiful day, you’ll find Googlers relaxing and mingling in this common outdoor seating area at our New Albany data center campus in Central Ohio. Note the beautiful building’s mass timber framing.

A gCUB is a modular global central utilities building for a Google-designed data center, and it contains our data center’s cooling infrastructure. These cooling pipes travel from our gCUB to two of our data center buildings in New Albany in Central Ohio.

This is part of the electrical yard outside one of our operational data center buildings on the New Albany campus in Central Ohio. Note the main electrical building on the far right that helps supply power to our data center.

A peek inside one of our New Albany data center buildings in Central Ohio shows server aisles that hold many racks and trays.

At the front of this server aisle on the New Albany data center campus in Central Ohio stand two coolant distribution units that help bring down the heat generated by our busy servers in order to keep them running efficiently.

Here is a closer look at one of our server aisles at the New Albany data center campus in Central Ohio.

This is one of many server aisles and coolant distribution units at our New Albany data center campus in Central Ohio, as seen from another perspective.

The transparent doors between server racks in one of our data center buildings at the New Albany campus in Central Ohio lead to the hot aisle. This is where all the warm air generated by the servers accumulates before it is funneled out of the building.

Notice all that color weaving through the ceiling of one of our New Albany data center buildings in Central Ohio? That’s fiber optics.

These electrical cables are responsible for supplying backup power from our generators to our data centers in the event we ever lose power at our New Albany, Ohio, campus.

These modular cooling plants with the cooling towers on top are part of our global central utilities building, which is the cooling infrastructure for our New Albany data center campus in Central Ohio. In the slim chance of a fire, the red doors alert the fire department to the area where they can find and control the sprinklers.

Warm light shines from our New Albany hub on our data center campus as night descends in Central Ohio.

Here is an aerial view of our New Albany data center campus in Central Ohio with our Hub in the foreground. Behind it is Building 4, which is one of our operational data centers on the campus, and behind Building 4 is Building 5, which is under construction. Another building in the far left corner of the photo is Building 6, also under construction.

This image in Central Ohio captures the entire New Albany data center campus at dusk. The three buildings at left are all operational data centers.

In this daytime view of the New Albany data center campus in Central Ohio, data center Buildings 3, 2, and 1 (from left to right) are in the foreground.

Another aerial view of our New Albany data center campus in Central Ohio focuses on Building 5, which is in the southwest corner of the campus and is under construction.

Tieg cuts a piece of pipe to patch into a new cooling system at our Council Bluffs, Iowa, data center.

This family of deer have moved in next to our Council Bluffs, Iowa, data center.

Wildflowers bloom around cooling towers at our Council Bluffs, Iowa, data center.

Our Council Bluffs, Iowa, data center makes the best out of every inch, so you can use services like Search and YouTube in the most efficient way possible.

Plastic curtains hang in a network room inside our Council Bluffs, Iowa, data center. Here we serve up cold air through the floor, and the clear plastic barriers help keep the cold air in while keeping hot air out.

Hovering above the floor in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the scale of our data center there begins to take shape. Huge steel beams both support the structure and help distribute power.

Inside the campus network room in our Council Bluffs, Iowa, data center, routers and switches allow our data centers to talk to each other. The fiber optic networks connecting our sites run at high speeds. The fiber cables run along the yellow cable trays near the ceiling.

Denise diagnoses an overheated CPU at our data center in The Dalles, Oregon. For more than a decade, we have built some of the world's most efficient servers.

Mike swaps out a motherboard at our data center in The Dalles, Oregon. When server parts break, we first try to repair them. If we can't, we break them up into raw materials (steel, plastic, copper, etc.) and recycle the components.

Steam rises above the cooling towers in The Dalles data center in Oregon. These plumes of water vapor create a quiet mist at dusk.

Plumes of steam rise above our cooling towers at our data center at The Dalles, Oregon. When you can see the water vapor — meaning humidity and temperatures are low — our cooling towers are at their most efficient.

Our data center in The Dalles, Oregon, sits on the banks of the Columbia River. Here our team members enjoy rafting, wind surfing, fishing, and hiking.

Our pipes aren’t the only colorful things at our data centers. These cables in our data center located in The Dalles, Oregon, are organized by their specific hue. On the floor, this can make things less technical: “Hand me a blue one.”

These colorful pipes are responsible for carrying water in and out of our The Dalles, Oregon, data center. The blue pipes supply cold water and the red pipes return the warm water back to be cooled.

Patrick does a visual inspection of the water pipes running below the floor of our Douglas County, Georgia, data center.

Norman makes visual inspections to ensure battery banks at our Douglas County, Georgia, data center are charged and ready to be activated at any time.

Ash of our Douglas County, Georgia, data center points out: “Working here has shown me how important the infrastructure is, from the location to utilities, weather, and, most of all, people.”

Nancy designs, implements, tests, and commissions electrical distribution systems that power the data center infrastructure at the Douglas County, Georgia, data center.

Dusk settles around our data center in Douglas County, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta.

Blue LEDs on this row of servers in our Douglas County, Georgia, data center tell us everything is running smoothly. We use LEDs because they are energy efficient, long lasting, and bright.

These colorful pipes in our Douglas County, Georgia, data center send and receive water for cooling our facility. Also pictured is a G-Bike, the vehicle of choice for team members to get around outside our data centers.

Pipes line the inside of our Douglas County, Georgia, data center. We paint them bright colors not only because it’s fun, but also to designate which one is which. The bright pink pipe in this photo transfers water from the row of chillers (the green units on the left) to an outside cooling tower.

Insulated pipes like these at our Douglas County, Georgia, data center have a U-bend (called this due to their shape) so they can expand and contract as the fluid temperature inside the pipe changes.

We keep pipes like these in our Douglas County, Georgia, data center ready with highly-pressurized water in case of a fire. This water, in particular, is cleaned and filtered so if we use it, we don’t contaminate the facility.

This advanced air-cooling system at our Dublin data center takes advantage of Ireland’s cool climate to keep our servers up and running.

Our Dublin, Ireland, data center features murals by local illustrator and artist Fuchsia MacAree.

The ceiling space of the low-voltage room in our Dublin, Ireland, data center features a striking view.

This PMDC (Power Management Distribution Center) transformer helps distribute power in our Dublin, Ireland, data center.

We’ve added red, yellow, and blue colors to the transformers in our Dublin, Ireland, data center.

Clear waters reflect the beauty of our Eemshaven, Netherlands, data center.

The security station at our Eemshaven, Netherlands, data center features a natural grass roof.

These heat exchangers play a critical part in keeping our Eemshaven, Netherlands, data center cool.

Servers line up in our Eemshaven, Netherlands, data center.

Wind turbines spin near our Eemshaven, Netherlands, data center.

As evening descends, these evaporative cooling towers provide one aspect of cooling to our Midlothian, Texas, data center infrastructure in Ellis County.

Water storage tanks like these at our Midlothian, Texas, data center campus in Ellis County hold excess water in case we lose access to our domestic water supply. Each tower holds water for our evaporative cooling towers if needed in an emergency.

At our Midlothian, Texas, data center campus in Ellis County we have critical generators that will help handle the critical load for the server floor if we ever experience a power interruption. Here are a few of those critical generators and an exhaust stack at sunset.

This close-up highlights the colorful electrical cables that provide back-up power to the data floors in case of power interruptions at our Midlothian, Texas, data centers in Ellis County.

Our Google office space at our Midlothian, Texas, data center campus in Ellis County sits among native plants and grasses.

A wider view of this trestle shows the intricate network of electrical cables that enter one of our Midlothian, Texas, data centers in Ellis County to power our data network.

Several of our critical generators and exhaust stacks sit in the foreground of our Midlothian, Texas, data centers in Ellis County.

Another view of our critical generators highlights the exhaust stacks from a different angle at our Midlothian, Texas, data center campus in Ellis County.

The exhaust stacks shine in the sunlight at our Midlothian, Texas, data center campus in Ellis County.

An aerial view of our Midlothian, Texas, data centers and infrastructure in Ellis County shows the breadth of our campus. 

Our Midlothian, Texas, data center campus lights up the night at dusk in Ellis County. In the foreground are our four water storage tanks and the gCUB generator yard. A gCUB is a modular Global Central Utilities Building for a Google-designed data center, and it contains our data center’s cooling infrastructure. 

This image shows another view of our Midlothian, Texas, data center campus in Ellis County as the sun fades at the close of another day.

Another aerial view of our Midlothian, Texas, campus in Ellis County shows the critical generators and exhaust stacks illuminated in front of our two data centers.

At our Midlothian data center campus in Ellis County, Texas, the cooling loop enters the lower left side of the building. Alongside it a fiber trestle provides the data network to the data center, entering the building in two places to the left of where the cooling loop enters.

Our Midlothian, Texas, data center campus currently has 10 MCPs (Modular Cooling Plants), which make up a complete gCUB (our data centers’ cooling infrastructure). Our number of MCPs is expected to grow at this campus.

Our four water storage tanks sit among our pumphouse, two chemical treatment rooms, and 10 MCPs at our Midlothian data center campus in Ellis County, Texas.

Mitch tightens a valve coupling in our Hamina, Finland, data center to ensure we keep seawater from the Gulf of Finland in the appropriate cooling pipes.

Our Hamina team enjoys ice fishing in the frozen Gulf of Finland.

A beautiful landscape forms during winter in Hamina, Finland, as the gulf ices over and creates a picturesque view.

Hamina, Finland, is home to one of the data centers we maintain in Europe. Previously this location housed the Stora Enso paper mill.

Another view of our Hamina location, taken while standing on the frozen Gulf of Finland.

At our data center in Hamina, Finland, we converted an old paper mill and used its infrastructure. The tanks in this picture were previously used in the paper-making process.

Different data centers offer different amenities. This conference room, inside our Hamina, Finland, location, is just outside a sauna area that is available for employees whenever they like.

These colorful pipes carry water. This data center in Hamina, Finland runs on unprocessed or greywater. The idea behind this is simple: instead of depending on clean, potable water, we use alternative sources of water and clean it just enough so it can be used for cooling. This water still needs to be processed, but treatment for data center use is much easier than cleaning it for drinking.

An overhead view of one of our cooling plants in Hamina, where seawater from the Gulf of Finland entirely cools the data center there.

Server floors like these require massive space and efficient power to run the full family of Google products for the world. Here in Hamina, Finland, we chose to renovate an old paper mill to take advantage of the building’s infrastructure as well as its proximity to the Gulf of Finland’s cooling waters.

Our Hanau data center was sustainably constructed with an energy-efficient infrastructure and adherence to our circular economy model for waste.

The Inzai data center sits among lush trees and greenery. It is Google’s first data center in Japan.

Jeff, who’s an associate facilities manager in our Lenoir data center, burns some wire in a fabrication area.

At our Lenoir, North Carolina, data center, Rachel preps a cart to repair the servers that store Google’s corner of the Internet.

Jon applies a floor-tile-grabber (actual name) to the floor of our Lenoir, North Carolina, data center to check the status of pipes underneath.

A cool spring night falls on our Lenoir, North Carolina, data center. From this beautiful location, we’re able to provide our services — in the middle of the night — to the entire world.

Neal uses special equipment to completely erase all of the data on old servers at one of our Lowcountry, South Carolina, data centers.

Dawn lights up the sky over one of our data centers in the Lowcountry, South Carolina.

A peaceful scene outside one of our data centers in the Lowcountry, South Carolina. We're currently experimenting with this rainwater retention pond in Berkeley County as another source to cool our systems.

These ethernet switches connect our facilities network at one of our Lowcountry, South Carolina, data centers. They help us communicate with and monitor our main controls for the cooling system.

Insulated storage tanks like these at our Berkeley County data center in the Lowcountry, South Carolina, hold water that we’ll send to the heart of the data center for cooling.

This control station in our Mayes County, Oklahoma, data center monitors the building and power with the ability to take calls from the field, validate repair tickets, and authorize repairs.

Roger takes care of the infrastructure in our Mayes County, Oklahoma, data center “that allows Google to do what it does,” he says.

An employee at our Mayes County, Oklahoma, data center inspects the cooling towers.

Bright lights and the moon light up our Mayes County, Oklahoma, data center. These modular units provide cooling for a portion of the center.

A colorful mural by digital artist Jenny Odell brightens up our Mayes County, Oklahoma, data center.

The sun sets over our Mayes County, Oklahoma, data center.

The cooling towers at our Mayes County, Oklahoma, data center help keep our servers running efficiently.

This view from up high shows off our Mayes County, Oklahoma, data center.

Each of our server racks has switches that are connected by a different colored cable. We keep these colors the same throughout our Mayes County, Oklahoma, data center so we know which one to replace in case of failure.

A rare look behind the server aisle at our Mayes County, Oklahoma, data center. Here fans funnel hot air from the server racks into a cooling unit to be recirculated. The green lights are the server status LEDs reflecting from the front of our servers.

These disk erase lockers in our Mayes County, Oklahoma, data center feature our classic Google colors.

Here technicians Mounir and Ray conduct generator maintenance at our St. Ghislain, Belgium, data center.

A sunset over St. Ghislain, Belgium, illuminates our water storage tanks and cooling towers.

Google-colored lights illuminate steam rising from the cooling towers at our St. Ghislain, Belgium, site.

This Google solar field draws power for our St. Ghislain, Belgium, data center.

The sun shines over the Google solar field at our St. Ghislain, Belgium, data center.

Solar panels line up side-by-side at our St. Ghislain, Belgium, data center.

The natural energy drawn by our solar panels fits right at home with the green fields of our St. Ghislain, Belgium, data center.

Our massive St. Ghislain, Belgium, data center works hard to help keep the internet running smoothly.

As part of our commitment to keeping our users’ data safe, we destroy all failed drives on site, such as these at our St. Ghislain, Belgium, data center.

Servers light up in our St. Ghislain, Belgium, data center.

Racks of servers line up in our St. Ghislain, Belgium, data center.

When the overhead lights in our St. Ghislain, Belgium, data center turn off, our servers continue to glow.

The overhead lights in our St. Ghislain, Belgium, data center shut off to conserve energy.

The sprinkler riser room in our St. Ghislain, Belgium, data center is integral to our fire suppression system.

These colorful lockers play a key role in our disk erase process at our St. Ghislain, Belgium, data center.

Mabell, logistics program manager at Google’s Singapore data center, speaks five languages: English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and German. With a bachelor’s in chemical engineering and a master’s in supply chain management, she enjoys the challenge of working with people across cultures. To those interested in working at Google Data Centers, Mabell says, “Welcome — join us in creating a world of possibilities!”

Security staff keep watch at the Security Operations Center (SOC) at our Singapore facility.

Our Singapore data center was our first to focus on building up instead of out.

Like all of our data centers, our Singapore facility employs strict security measures.

This multi-story Google data center is located in the heart of Singapore.

Only a bird’s-eye view will spot these cooling towers atop our Singapore data center.

Our Singapore data center lights up the night.

These standby generators in our Singapore data center provide backup power.

These Auto Transfer Panels are one of the many components that make up our Singapore data center.

These colorful pipes live in the chiller room of our Singapore data center.

These tanks in our Singapore data center sit on platforms that use our classic Google colors.

Copper evaporator/cooling coils line up in our Singapore data center.

Our two Storey County, Nevada, data centers (at center and right) are surrounded by the Flowery Mountains, with our gCUB generator yard behind them at left.

As seen from above, shadows lengthen over the top of the individual generators in our gCUB generator yard at our Storey County, Nevada, data center campus.

This aerial view shows the cooling tower fan platform at our Storey County, Nevada, data center campus.

Our Storey County, Nevada, data center campus continuously grows and evolves. Here is one of our generator yards under construction.

Looking southwest toward the Flowery Mountains are our two Storey Country data centers at left and our gCUB generator yard at right. Construction is ready to begin on another data center on the land in the bottom left corner of the image.

Unique to our Google data centers are these semi-clear wind-protecting panels that create a rainbow effect on our dry cooler platform on a sunny day in Storey County, Nevada.

Our semi-clear wind-protecting panels cast a red light on our cooling tower pumping systems at our Storey County, Nevada, data center campus.

If the power ever goes out at our Storey County, Nevada, data centers, we have these emergency backup generators at the ready to ensure we always stay up and running.

Our semi-clear wind-protecting panels cast a blue light on our cooling tower pumping systems at our Storey County, Nevada, data center campus.

At dusk, the backup generators for our Storey County, Nevada, data centers blend into the Flowery Mountain range in the background.

Our colorful dry coolers on the left help ensure we can cool our Storey County, Nevada, data center servers so we can preserve precious water resources in the region.

A close-up shows the cooling fans on top of our dry coolers at one of our Storey County, Nevada, data centers.

Another view of our semi-clear wind-protecting panels that create a rainbow effect on our dry cooler platform in sunny Storey County, Nevada.

Cooling pipes run across our Storey County, Nevada, data center campus, bringing water to and from the data center to help cool our servers.

A driveway leads to our gCUB mechanics building.

Our cooling pipes run across a Nevada sunset to our Storey County data centers to cool our servers.

Tasked with bringing fun and culture to data centers, Sheleen’s workdays vary widely. Her responsibilities include daily administrative work and planning site-wide outings and employee summits. “No two days are alike and you often have to switch gears,” she says. “However, our team motto is ‘Bring the Magic.’” Sheleen earned a bachelor’s in business administration with a concentration in marketing. She took on various roles in the hospitality industry and worked as an executive assistant before coming to Google. “I’ve grown so much in the last two years,” she says. “Be patient with yourself, because the only person you’re in competition with is yourself!”

Alex’s chief role is to create documentation by converting technical information into comprehensible written content. “I’ve learned that I thrive in fast-paced environments,” he says. After studying biology and philosophy with the intention of pursuing a career in medicine and the biomedical sciences, Alex first joined Google as an operations engineer. Operations engineers are now the primary audience for his current work. ”Whatever your role may be, you have impact,” he says. “I’ve been amazed by the people I’ve met working here, and the accomplishments we’ve achieved together. It’s a great ride!”

Brian works on systems that monitor his data center’s electrical infrastructure, mechanical cooling infrastructure, and safety systems that keep the data center running. With 10 years’ experience in controls and electricity, he enjoys the challenges of working with new designs and exercising outside-the-box critical reasoning. ”As members of the Data Center Operations team, we’re responsible for keeping the servers powered up and cool,” he says. ”Working in the data center is exciting, fast-paced, and rewarding.” Brian is also a pilot who enjoys flying, and likes to build things in his spare time.

“I enjoy being part of a team that completes major projects on time,” Mario says. “That’s a good feeling, knowing that everyone put in a good day’s work.” Offered many different football scholarships, Mario was a three-year starter on his college football team and earned a BS in business marketing and education. He’s now furthering his education by pursuing Google’s IT Support Professional Certificate. “You have to come in with a great attitude, ready to work,” he says. “Stay focused and be willing to learn on the fly, because the pace can be fast and you have to adapt to change. Just be yourself and give it your all.”

Alex earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice before teaching himself networking and programming languages. Responsible for overseeing machine deployments and troubleshooting network issues, at Google he found that there’s always something new to learn. He greatly appreciates the upward mobility his job provides. ”I enjoy coming to work, because my goal is to learn every day to grow my career,” says Alex. “I also love the environment, culture, and co-workers.” A music fan who does some carpentry on his days off, Alex advises would-be Googlers, “Be a good team player and have a passion for learning.”

Responsible for warehouse inventory and the global logistics programs, Narissa’s skills include inventory management, data analysis, leadership, and reliability. She comes to the role with a bachelor’s in business administration and a minor in computer information systems, and enjoys cross-functional interaction with multiple teams. “Listening is invaluable,” she says. “There’s a lot to learn, so practice listening first.” Narissa also says spending time with her family is her first priority.

Lazo works on various projects in hardware operations, such as verifying that new equipment is properly placed and connected. Local lead of the Black Googler Network internal group, he enjoys working with a team of great people and says he’s learned that change is good. “You have to pay attention to details in my position,” he says. “Things change fast.” When not at work, Lazo is a musician, emcee, and music producer.

As a data center technician and technical writer, respectively, Lazo and Alex combine their talents to help improve our Google Data Centers.

With a background in political science, Ryan spent time in construction operations before coming to Google. Responsible for making internal tools easier to use, his role requires skills in organization, writing, and communication, as well as a willingness to take on the status quo. ”It takes a lot of people from many backgrounds to keep Google up and running,” Ryan says. When not in the office, Ryan says you can often find him behind a camera trying to take the perfect picture.

Laura learned the value of embracing change at Google Data Centers. Responsible for buying data center capacity and identifying market locations, her role requires understanding of real estate market trends and dynamics impacting the data center industry. “We’re working in an industry that is constantly evolving and changing at lightning speed,” she says. “It’s exciting to see the progress made in a short amount of time.” Laura is also an avid downhill skier with a love for travel, cooking, and caring for her son.

Organization, communication, and motivation to keep learning are essential skills in Bre’s role. Responsible for managing the CSA (Civil, Structural & Architectural) and ODC (Offices at Data Centers) programs, Bre enjoys working with a fleet of data centers that spans the globe. “It’s exciting to understand what makes each of our data centers unique,” she says. “I’ve learned to manage the chaos, not stifle it, as chaos helps breed innovation.” When not at work, Bre enjoys rock climbing, golf, and DIY projects.

Janine manages global and transformational business technology projects to automate business processes for Google Data Centers. “One day I could be in Singapore piloting a new technology,” she says. “Another day I could be conducting user experience and acceptance testing in Belgium.” She has a bachelor’s degree in managerial economics and an MBA, is an International Business Lecturer, and also a black belt in kung fu. “Be open-minded about your past work history and future career path,” she says. “There is no ‘one size fits all’ at Google Data Centers.”

Ruby, Jiali, and Mike work together to help improve our Google Data Centers.

Mike spent 10 years as an Army officer and Kiowa Warrior helicopter pilot before coming to Google Data Centers. Responsible for helping personnel respond effectively to facility power and cooling-related incidents, as well as processes, tools, and training that allow personnel to rapidly escalate issues, Mike attributes his success in part to his willingness to learn. “You can't be good at this job by sitting behind a desk,” he says. “You have to spend time learning from the people who are running our data centers. Cross-functional collaboration is critical to getting things done at Google.”

“Life at Google is colorful,” says Jiali, who received the Google Citizenship Award for embodying Google values. A master of reliability prediction models and simulations, Jiali oversees reliability engineering throughout the data center lifecycle. Among his accomplishments, he’s created a digital inventory of Google Data Centers, interpreting the physical buildings as computer-enhanced models. “Know that I won’t stop, I am building reliability models all over the world,” he says. “Join us, and the world’s infrastructure will be in your hands.”

Ruby’s passions and interests align with her career. The passion that drives her is her love of statistics. With degrees in statistics and data science, and a multifaceted analytic skill set including knowledge of programming languages and statistical methodologies, Ruby was excited to see the impact of her work at Google Data Centers. “People value data-driven decisions here,” she says. “At Google Data Centers, you have the opportunity to work where it all starts.”

“Be open-minded and stay true to who you are,” says Christina. Responsible for managing financial forecasting and risk reporting for data center delivery and engineering, Christina analyzes large data sets and interprets their story. She loves to travel and explore, and credits her job with teaching her to maintain a healthy work-life balance. “You’re the most impactful when you take care of yourself,” she says.

Jim spent 14 years as an officer in nuclear submarines before joining Google Data Centers. He now enjoys the challenge of working with a global team that designs large, globally scalable data centers and computers. “Even though I lived in Japan and Bahrain, Google has really taught me how to work and deliver globally,” he says. With a BS in electrical engineering, he attributes his success in part to his strong sense of teamwork and ability to keep learning. “Of course you need technical skills; look how the internet has evolved,” he says. “Imagine what will come next, and the data centers we’ll need to support it.”

Anu’s role requires a technical mind for strategic planning, team management, making sound decisions, and implementing solutions. She has multiple engineering degrees from the U.S. and India, and a background in leadership roles at hardware, networking, and internet search companies. She enjoys anticipating business patterns, problem-solving in high-pressure situations, and helping the team overcome obstacles. “Don’t optimize things based on the short term,” says Anu. "No matter what your role is, take calculated risks, aim for audacious goals, and learn from your failures along the way." In her off time, Anu enjoys running, hiking, painting, and cooking.

Kate manages executive communications, spending much of the day writing and working with media. With a bachelor’s in film/TV, a master’s in social work/psychology, and 20 years’ experience in the communications field, she never expected she’d be working in the data center industry. “I love that every day is different. Learning about data centers and how they work is just fascinating. Especially since I come from a non-technical background.”

Stephen loves coming to work, learning from his fellow employees and discovering what innovations Google and Alphabet are working on. “Googlers don’t just see projects,” he says. “We see the impact our projects have on the lives of billions of users worldwide.” Stephen aligns people, processes, and technology to maintain Google Data Centers and help them scale. He says his first love is his wife and two kids, “closely followed by soccer,” as well as movies, reading, and learning new things. “Google is a journey, not a destination,” he says. “Be ready for the ride, you’ll totally enjoy it.”

“I never imagined that one day I would be working at Google,” Ana says, “but when the opportunity appeared, I decided to take a chance. Why not me?” Responsible for the Global Electrical Safety program, Ana spends her days developing and implementing procedures to optimize electrical safety and ensure that everyone gets home safely at the end of the day. She welcomes the challenges of her job and new life with enthusiasm. “I moved to another country, started a new life, and — besides being far away from family and friends — couldn’t be happier.”

Martin spent much of his career in the entertainment lighting industry before retraining to work at Google as a data center technician. He wasn’t expecting the size of the operation when he first joined and had never seen servers run on the scale Google’s do. “No day is the same,” says Martin. “Routine tasks can be executed easily, but when things go wrong, we have to prioritize our work.” Responsible for looking after data security operations, Martin’s role requires him to be good at organizing and troubleshooting. “It’s always satisfying when you can resolve or help resolve an issue that arises,” he says.

Anne-France, whose job is to improve business operations in Google’s European data centers, enjoys the travel her job entails and the opportunity to interact with people in different sectors. “This is an environment where you touch different technical fields,” she says, “where you can go deep into any level of expertise and where you will work with a lot of experienced people. You will definitely learn a lot from it.” Outside work, Anne-France is an athlete who participates in short-distance triathlons.

Alain’s responsibilities include electrical operations and maintenance, as well as energy management and sustainability projects. With a background in electrical engineering and a multifaceted skill set that includes managing projects and people, Alain’s incredible co-workers are what he likes most about the job. “I’ve learned that what is sure one day, is no more the day after,” he says. “If you are passionate and not afraid to learn, come along!” Offline, Alain is also a scuba diving instructor with an affinity for playing vintage pinball games.

“Join the party,” says Mathilde, a technical writer at Google Data Centers. “Every day is different. No time to get bored.” Mathilde, whose job consists of writing, editing, and archiving procedures for technicians, works for various sites around the globe, meets with all kinds of people, and is highly involved in Google’s thriving women’s community. “Google allows me to be who I am,” she says, “which I appreciate a lot.”

Gert Jan is a technician in hardware operations responsible for data security. An expert analyst and troubleshooter, he says working at Google Data Centers has also taught him valuable skills in team leadership. His favorite part of the job is the opportunity to work on large-scale issues. “Don’t be afraid of making mistakes,” he says, “and focus on quality rather than quantity.” When not at work, Gert Jan enjoys sports, fitness, guitar, and chess.

For John, there’s something thrilling about the magnitude of working at Google Data Centers. “The scale of what we are doing across the regions is nothing like what you might expect,” he says. “It’s an exciting program to become involved in.” Responsible for overseeing commercial aspects of new data center construction sites, John values the encouragement he receives to develop new processes, the opportunity it grants him to make a difference, and — most of all — the people on his team. “Google is a great company to work for,” he says. “Not just the places we work, the free food, and the great facilities, but mainly the people that we get to meet here and on the global program. You get to make friends!”

The ability to multitask is essential for Derek, a data center facilities technician and busy father of three. “We’re here 24/7 for the rare times when things go wrong,” he says. “We’re trained to respond promptly and efficiently to fix any issues as they arise. You get a great sense of satisfaction on a job well done.” In addition to daily operations, Derek is responsible for keeping the data center online and monitoring on-site standby generators. He appreciates the freedom to do his job, as well as the support from his colleagues. “Working at Google has been a very positive experience,” he says. “I have taken on new challenges and learned many new skills. You never know where the job is going to take you from one week to another.”

Every day on the job introduces new people and different challenges for Mick, a technician working in data center operations. With a degree in mechatronics engineering and a background as an electrical and instrumentation technician, this subject-matter expert for fire suppression systems is skilled at troubleshooting and updating systems to maximize performance. “There are always great people here to bounce ideas with and design new ways to make processes more efficient,” he says. “If you enjoy a challenge and meeting new people, Google is the place to be.”

Ray enjoys the variety of his work and learning new things every day in Google’s unique environment. “The culture is like nowhere you will ever see,” Ray says. “There are huge opportunities for career development and strong encouragement for doing so, which makes this, I believe, a great place to work.” As a data center facilities technician, Ray is responsible for overseeing low voltage electrical systems and power monitoring. When not at work, he does some DJing on the side and loves running, electronics, and his wife and two little girls.

“I love how Google values its employees, giving them the opportunity to grow and guiding them,” says Haikal. With diplomas in both machine technology and information technology, Haikal is responsible for keeping the data center network up and running, as well as keeping user data secure. He also enjoys occasionally playing table tennis at work. “Everyone’s a leader here at Google,” says Haikal. “Anyone can ask questions and also give their opinions. What we value is your contribution and your dedication.”

Boasting 15 years’ experience in the maintenance industry, Aishah has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, an MBA in finance, and four beautiful children. She values the variety her job provides, switching focus between finance, legal, and maintenance operations, as well as the opportunity it’s given her to make a large-scale societal impact. She emphasizes that her job has led her to an appreciation for the importance of team diversity. “Embrace the difference in opinion,” she says, “to ignite the imagination and continue learning.”