The tech giant also plans to expand its existing facility in Pryor, both aimed at strengthening the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud capacity.

The announcement was made in Pryor by Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Google and its parent company Alphabet, alongside state and local officials. 

Porat described the move as a deeper commitment to the state where Google has operated for nearly two decades. “Google is helping to power a new era of American innovation with our investments in Oklahoma,” she said, noting that the Mayes County facility is the company’s second-largest in the world.

Since opening the Pryor site in 2011, Google has invested $4.4 billion into Oklahoma operations. The new spending package is part of Alphabet’s aggressive capital expenditure strategy, which was raised in July to $85 billion for 2025, up from $75 billion. 

About two-thirds of that is allocated to AI-focused servers, while the remainder will cover data centres, networking equipment, and related infrastructure.

The company is pairing its physical expansion with skills development programmes. It has partnered with the electrical training ALLIANCE (etA) to prepare more than 160 apprentices and upskill existing electrical workers in Oklahoma by 2030. 

Google will also provide AI tools and training for one year to all college students in the state and has entered into partnerships with the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University to equip students with AI and job-readiness skills.

Energy demand for the expanded operations will be substantial. To meet this, Google has secured more than 700 megawatts of solar power capacity from Leeward Energy. Additionally, it is investing $1.5 million in a regenerative agriculture initiative with Indigo Ag, expected to replenish 200 million gallons of water annually over the next seven years.

This investment wave comes as U.S. firms are working to expand AI and cloud infrastructure to meet surging demand and counter the rapid progress of Chinese companies such as DeepSeek and Zhipu in AI model performance and chip design. 

Google’s proprietary Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) are a key element of its strategy, offering an advantage over Nvidia’s GPUs and reducing reliance on external suppliers.

Beyond Oklahoma, Google recently committed $37 million AI investment in Africa and $1 billion to AI education for U.S. universities and non-profits, with more than 100 institutions already participating. 

Similar initiatives have been announced by OpenAI, Anthropic, Amazon, and Microsoft as part of their goal to ensure the U.S. maintains a strong AI talent pipeline.

Anat Ashkenazi, who is leaving her current position as CFO of Eli Lilly and Company, will succeed Ruth Porat, who is transitioning to a new role as President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google.

Anat Ashkenazi’s resignation from Eli Lilly, confirmed today, concludes a 23-year tenure of extensive contributions to the pharmaceutical giant. 

Eli Lilly CEO, David A. Ricks, commended Ashkenazi’s impactful career, particularly her recent three-year stint as CFO during a period of growth for the company.

“During her last three years as Lilly’s CFO, we have experienced tremendous growth and laid the groundwork to help us reach even more patients with our medicines. I want to personally thank Anat for her partnership, friendship, and leadership of our financial organization and to wish her well in her new role,” Ricks said.

Ashkenazi joined Eli Lilly in 2001 and ascended through various financial and strategic roles. Her diverse portfolio includes positions such as Senior Vice President, Controller, and CFO of Lilly Research Laboratories, as well as CFO for several of Eli Lilly’s global divisions, including Oncology, Diabetes, and Research & Development. 

She holds an MBA from Tel Aviv University and a BA in economics and business administration from the Hebrew University.

In her new role at Alphabet, Ashkenazi will be based in the Bay Area and will report directly to CEO Sundar Pichai who is confident in Ashkenazi’s capabilities, noting her “track record of strategic focus on long-term investment to fuel innovation and growth.” 

He emphasized the importance of her role in Alphabet’s continued push into artificial intelligence and other innovative technologies. “The AI era is giving us an incredible opportunity to innovate at scale across our core products, and to create entirely new products and experiences for our users and customers. I look forward to working with Anat as we invest responsibly to support our next wave of growth,” Pichai said.

Ruth Porat, who has been with Google since 2015 after a distinguished career at Morgan Stanley, will remain as CFO through the company’s second-quarter earnings report. She will then fully transition to her new role, overseeing Alphabet’s investments and strategic initiatives. 

Porat’s tenure as CFO has involved helping the company through challenges, including the increasing competitive pressures in AI and various regulatory scrutinies.

Ashkenazi’s move to Alphabet is part of a realignment within Google’s financial and executive teams. Earlier this year, Porat announced a restructuring of the finance unit to better align with Alphabet’s AI-driven focus, a move that involved global layoffs and relocations. 

This transition also comes amid a series of executive changes at Google, with several key figures, including YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki and AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton, having departed or announced their departure in 2023.

Alphabet’s hires and organizational changes aim to maintain the dynamic drive in technology and innovation, expanding its AI capabilities and other forward-looking projects. Ashkenazi’s experience in managing large-scale financial operations will help the company’s goal achievement.