*

The U.S. company also announced the opening of a new data

centre

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UK finance minister: plans are 'powerful vote of

confidence'

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Economic deals worth over $10 bln expected during Trump's

visit

LONDON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Google said on Tuesday it

would make 5 billion pounds ($6.80 billion) in new investments

into Britain ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump's state visit

to the country, which is expected to feature a flurry of

business deals and partnerships.

The U.S. tech company also announced the opening of a new

data centre close to London, designed to help meet growing

demand for its AI-powered services like Google Cloud, Search,

Maps and Workspace.

The investment "is a powerful vote of confidence in the UK

economy and the strength of our partnership with the US,"

finance minister Rachel Reeves said in the company's statement.

The Alphabet-owned company said the investment is projected to

create 8,250 jobs annually at British businesses.

The announcement will be seen as a boost for British Prime

Minister Keir Starmer's Labour government, which is hoping to

attract private investment to grow a sluggish economy and regain

momentum in national opinion polls.

The Trump visit is also expected to deepen economic ties between

the two Western allies. Senior U.S. officials have said that

economic deals worth over $10 billion would be announced.

In its statement, Google also said it had agreed on a deal

with Shell that would contribute to grid stability and

Britain's energy transition.

Its Waltham Cross data centre, about an hour's drive from

London, uses air-cooling technology to reduce water usage and is

equipped to re-route heat from the centre to then be provided to

local homes or businesses, thereby minimising its overall

environmental impact, Google said.

Together with its clean energy initiatives and the Shell

partnership, Google said its UK operations are expected to run

at or near 95% carbon-free-energy in 2026.

($1 = 0.7351 pounds)

(Reporting by Muvija M; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama )