What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

In my role, I have sole responsibility for all real estate and construction matters relating to data centres (and other technical infrastructure) across Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Recent examples of work include (i) a $1bn data centre investment announced in the UK involving the development of a 33-acre site in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire; (ii) a 6.7bn kr data centre investment in Skien, Norway which will be amongst the greenest in our fleet with a carbon free energy score of above 99% and heat recovery capabilities; (iii) an additional $1bn investment in Belgium’s digital future involving construction works on our second data centre site in Farciennes, and the expansion of our existing site in Saint-Ghislain.

A particularly rewarding aspect of my job (including on the above referenced projects) is that I am one of the very few people at Google who sees these enormous projects through, from site acquisition to construction, and finally, operation.

These projects are intrinsic to Google’s AI and Cloud ambitions, and each has sustainability and environmental responsibility at their core.

Looking forward, what technological advancements do you feel will impact the role of in-house legal teams in the future the most? Which have you found most useful in your legal team?

Innovation has always been at the heart of what we do at Google in Dublin. Our legal team continues to be faced with a variety of unique legal challenges, owing to the fast-paced nature of the internet and Google’s leading position in the market. Therefore, the legal team here in Dublin must continue to come up with equally unique and innovative approaches to tackling some of the toughest legal challenges of the information age.

Google’s AI first approach has filtered through to our products and services, as well as to the tools used by various teams within the company, and legal is no exception to this. By way of example, machine learning is starting to make its way into document review within the legal team. While disruptive technological innovations are making the completion of everyday legal tasks more efficient, the need for our team to think big and think differently in providing creative and proactive legal guidance remains unchanged.

What are some of the main trends in the industry sector you work in in Ireland?

The technology industry is changing at an accelerating pace – most notably with the advancement of generative AI (Gen AI). Gen AI offers us exciting new possibilities, but these are frequently accompanied by legal challenges, including issues relating to intellectual property and data protection.

As the AI race intensifies, the need for data centre facilities has increased in tandem. It is important to me that Google has sustainability at the centre of its approach to infrastructure. In practice, this means that Google matches 100% of its energy usage with purchases of renewable energy. The company has set a goal for their data centres to run on 24/7 carbon-free energy on every grid by 2030.

A second trend which Google has emphasised is the need to support the communities in which our data centres operate. Projects include the creation of a new platform for attracting investment into the data centre region with the Kymenlaakso Summit in Finland, and support for three water stewardship projects in the Netherlands. In Dublin, Google is currently accepting applications from non-profit bodies for funding to drive change in key focus areas via the Data Centre Community Impact Programme.

In summary, the key market trend which I am seeing at the moment is the intensification of the race for data centre facilities to support Gen AI. The cornerstone of Google’s response has been to emphasise sustainability and positive community impact as we simultaneously quicken our pace in the market.