The data centre will be on a huge 33-acre. site that Google bought in 2020 will be in Waltham Cross, just 15 miles from the capital, the company said in a statement.

The UK government, desperate for businesses to invest in new projects, especially in tech and AI, said that Google's spending spree was a "massive boost" for the UK.

UK Prime Minister  [this week] Rishi Sunaksaid in the Google statement: "Google's $1 billion investment shows that the UK is a top place for tech and has a lot of room to grow," 

The investment comes after Google's $1 billion buy of a central London office building in 2022, near Covent Garden, and another site in King's Cross, where it is making a new office and where its AI company DeepMind is based.

In November, Microsoft said it would pour $3.2 billion into Britain over the next three years.