Google promises Greece 20K jobs with cloud expansion

By DEREK GATOPOULOS
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Google says it plans to expand its cloud services infrastructure to Greece, promising to create nearly 20,000 jobs through direct investment and partnerships by the end of the decade. The move announced Thursday follows two-year-old plans by Microsoft to invest $1 billion to create data centers near Athens, as well as pledges by other tech giants including Cisco and Amazon to set up facilities in Greece. The country has bet heavily on boosting its once-sluggish tech sector since exiting successive international bailout programs four years ago, hoping to diversify an economy heavily reliant on tourism.