Data Center Record.
Projects / Google Mesa data center / Timeline

Google Mesa data center, in order

What happened with this project, oldest first: the stages it reached, what the county and its cities decided, and every dated step on the record. Each entry links its source.

24 events, January 1, 2019 to May 7, 2026. Also on the record, under the month each belongs to: 20 statements, 20 figures from other sources and 51 lines that are not events of their own. The facts, newest first: the record; the place: Arizona.

A plain date is the day it happened, as the source states it, or as the line's own sentence states it ("voted on July 6"), which is where the line sits even when it was filed later. "Reported" and a date is the day a source published a line that carries no date of its own. Those lines, and lines that describe rather than report an act, sit under their month rather than on the timeline, with what was said and the figures other sources gave. Every timeline on the site reads its lines by this one rule. How dates are read.

Stages

  1. approved
  2. proposed
  3. approved
  4. waiting on permits
  5. being built
  6. approved
  7. being built
  8. approved
  9. being built

Now: being built. A stage is the record's status after the entry that set it (the definitions).

2019 6 events

  1. (the year its own sentence names; filed under Jul 1, 2023)

    Entry

    Mesa City Council approved development agreement in 2019 [13]

  2. (content date)

    approved

    Mesa City Council voted to approve a development agreement for a Google data center at Elliot Road Technology Corridor on June 24, 2019 (vote was scheduled for Monday) [11]

  3. Also in June 2019: 3 statements and 3 lines that are not events of their own

    1. (content date)

      Entry

      Google would spend $1 billion to build 750,000 square feet by July 2029 [11]

    2. (content date)

      Entry

      Google would build 250,000 square feet in the first phase by July 2025 [11]

    3. (content date)

      Entry

      The data center property comprises 186 acres of farmland at the northwest corner of Elliot and Sossaman Road [11]

    4. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · William Jabjiniak, Mesa Economic Development Director

      Jobs created would average at least $65,000 annually in positions such as systems administrators, technicians, facilities employees and support services azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic local outlet

    5. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · John Giles, Mesa Mayor

      Mesa Mayor John Giles stated Mesa has a tech corridor anchored by Apple at one end and Google at the other azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic local outlet

    6. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · Jeremy Whittaker, Mesa Councilman

      Councilman Jeremy Whittaker said the Google investment was huge for Mesa azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic local outlet

  4. (content date)

    proposed

    Google proposed a 750,000 square foot data center at Sossaman and Elliot Roads in Mesa [27]

  5. (content date)

    approved

    Google will build a data center in Mesa, Arizona in the Elliot Road Technology Corridor [12]

  6. (content date)

    Entry

    City of Mesa provided $16 million in tax breaks for the data center [6]

  7. (content date)

    Entry

    Mesa City Council approved $1 billion Google data center [6]

  8. Also in July 2019: 1 statement and 8 lines that are not events of their own

    1. (content date)

      Entry

      Property is 186 acres located at Elliot and Sossaman roads in southeast Mesa [12]

    2. (content date)

      Entry

      Google has up to five years to begin construction and up to 10 years to finish building [12]

    3. (content date)

      Entry

      Mesa City Council is primed to approve the development agreement at Monday meeting [12]

    4. (content date)

      Entry

      750,000 square foot requirement by July 2029 with at least $1 billion investment [12]

    5. (content date)

      Entry

      500,000 square foot requirement by July 2027 with minimum investment of $800 million [12]

    6. (content date)

      Entry

      Construction of at least 250,000 square feet required by July 2025 with $600 million investment [12]

    7. (content date)

      Entry

      If approved, Google has five years to start construction [27]

    8. (content date)

      Entry

      The development agreement includes a $16 million tax break [27]

    9. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · John Giles, Mesa Mayor

      Mayor John Giles said the Google project is a home run and a great day for Mesa East Valley Tribune local outlet

2022 1 event

  1. (the year its own sentence names; filed under Sep 8, 2025)

    Entry

    SRP issued RFPs in 2022 and 2024 for LDES technology demonstration projects. [23]

2023 10 events

  1. Also in June 2023: 1 figure from another source

    1. (source date; the content gives no date of its own)

      Figure · Business Insider

      1,000,000 gallons a day: Google Mesa data center project allocated 1 million gallons of water per day Business Insider national outlet

  2. (content date)

    waiting on permits

    Google received Design Review Board approval for 288,000 square foot data hall as phase 1 [13]

  3. (content date)

    being built

    Google broke ground on Mesa data center campus [3]

  4. Also in July 2023: 2 lines that are not events of their own

    1. (content date)

      Entry

      Google faces July 2025 deadline for 250,000 square feet of development and $600 million capital investment [13]

    2. (content date)

      Entry

      Total planned development on 186 acre site is 750,000 square feet [13]

  5. (content date)

    approved

    Google is building a $600 million data center in Mesa, Arizona [16]

  6. (content date)

    being built

    Google Mesa data center uses air cooling instead of water cooling [15]

  7. (content date)

    approved

    Data center will be first physical Google presence in Arizona [14]

  8. (content date)

    being built

    Google broke ground on September 6, 2023 on a $600 million data center in Mesa [17]

  9. (content date)

    Entry

    Google Cloud region announced for Phoenix [18]

  10. (content date)

    Entry

    Google breaks ground on data center in Mesa, Arizona in September 2023 [19]

  11. (content date)

    Entry

    Google announced a new Google Cloud region is coming to Phoenix [20]

  12. (content date)

    Entry

    Google broke ground on a new $600 million data center in Mesa [20]

  13. Also in September 2023: 12 statements and 11 lines that are not events of their own

    1. (content date)

      Entry

      Google detailed plans on huge data center underway in Mesa [7]

    2. (content date)

      Entry

      Google committed to air cooled technology to limit water usage [14]

    3. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · Google officials

      Since 2017, Google has matched energy usage with renewable energy purchases AZ Family local outlet

    4. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · John Giles, Mesa Mayor

      Mesa Mayor John Giles announced the Google data center project azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic local outlet

    5. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · Joe Kava, VP of Data Centers, Google

      Joe Kava, VP of Data Centers at Google, stated data centers are economic anchors in communities AZ Family local outlet

    6. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · Joe Kava, Vice President of Data Centers, Google

      Joe Kava, vice president of data centers at Google, announced the Mesa data center project azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic local outlet

    7. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · Katie Hobbs, Arizona Governor

      Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs announced the Google Mesa data center project on September 6, 2023 azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic local outlet

    8. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · Katie Hobbs, Arizona Governor

      Governor Katie Hobbs stated Google's investment will be critical for Mesa community and state economy AZ Family local outlet

    9. (content date)

      Entry

      Google Mesa data center serves Google Search, Gmail, Maps and Google Cloud services [18]

    10. (content date)

      Entry

      First phase expected to be finished in summer 2025 [17]

    11. (content date)

      Entry

      Nearly 190 acres of former farmland converted to computing compound [17]

    12. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · Google

      Google will use air cooled technology instead of water cooling in Mesa KJZZ local outlet

    13. (content date)

      Entry

      Google is looking to buy other large parcels of land for future growth in the area [4]

    14. (content date)

      Entry

      Google uses air cooled technology and uses no water in its cooling technology [4]

    15. (content date)

      Entry

      Google expects to start building at the site near the beginning of 2024 and be complete by early 2025 [4]

    16. (content date)

      Entry

      Google's Mesa data center project is valued at $600 million and was previously known as Project Red Hawk [4]

    17. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · Google

      Google announced a new Phoenix cloud region in addition to the Mesa data center Construction Dive local outlet

    18. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · Joe Kava, Google VP of Data Centers

      Joe Kava, vice president of data centers at Google, states that data centers are economic anchors in communities Construction Dive local outlet

    19. (content date)

      Entry

      This will be Google's first physical presence in Arizona [20]

    20. (content date)

      Entry

      The Mesa data center will use state of the art air cool technology [20]

    21. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · Joe Kava, VP Data Centers, Google

      Joe Kava, VP Data Centers at Google, said they are proud to put down roots in Arizona with data center and cloud region AZ Big Media local outlet

    22. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · John Giles, Mesa Mayor

      Mesa Mayor John Giles said the City of Mesa is thrilled to welcome Google and the decision underscores confidence in the city AZ Big Media local outlet

    23. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · Katie Hobbs, Arizona Governor

      Governor Katie Hobbs said Google's investment in Arizona will be critical for the Mesa community and state's economy AZ Big Media local outlet

  14. Also in December 2023: 1 line that is not an event of its own

    1. (content date)

      Entry

      Google said the water source for its Mesa, Arizona data center was at high risk of scarcity and depletion and that it chose air cooling in response; a company statement about its own planning, not an independent audit [1]

2024 3 events

  1. (content date)

    Entry

    Google reached a clean energy agreement with SRP for the Mesa data center [10]

  2. (content date)

    Entry

    Google signed eight year contract with Salt River Project for 434 MW of renewable energy [8]

  3. Also in March 2024: 1 statement and 3 lines that are not events of their own

    1. (content date)

      Entry

      Mesa data center will use air cooled technology and be operational in 2025 [9]

    2. (content date)

      Entry

      Data center will use air cooling technology instead of water cooling [8]

    3. (content date)

      Entry

      Data center set to come online in 2025 [8]

    4. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · Google

      Google Mesa data center will reach at least 80% carbon free energy by 2026 blog.google local outlet

  4. (content date)

    Entry

    Google filed to build second data center at Mesa campus [5]

  5. Also in April 2024: 3 lines that are not events of their own

    1. (content date)

      Entry

      Google data center project in Mesa, Arizona advancing to review phase in 2024 [22]

    2. (content date)

      Entry

      Google Mesa data center first phase site is more than 185 acres near northwest corner of Sossaman and Elliot roads [21]

    3. (content date)

      Entry

      Second phase of Google Mesa data center is 280,000 square feet [21]

2025 3 events

  1. Also in June 2025: 2 lines that are not events of their own

    1. (source date; the content gives no date of its own)

      Decision · Mesa (city)

      Proposed 60 foot height limit for data centers themesatribune.com

    2. (source date; the content gives no date of its own)

      Decision · Mesa (city)

      Proposed 400 foot setback from residential areas for data centers themesatribune.com

  2. (the month its own sentence names; no day is given; filed under Jul 14, 2025)

    Decision · Mesa (city)

    Mesa City Council adopted new zoning rules for data centers and their operations in a City Council vote in July 2025 kjzz.org

  3. (content date)

    Decision · Mesa (city)

    Mesa City Council unanimously approved data center amendments on July 8, 2025, with two members absent themesatribune.com

  4. Also in July 2025: 1 line that is not an event of its own

    1. (source date; the content gives no date of its own)

      Decision · Mesa (city)

      Mesa data center ordinance restricts future projects to land zoned for industrial use themesatribune.com

  5. Also in August 2025: 2 lines that are not events of their own

    1. (source date; the content gives no date of its own)

      Decision · Mesa (city)

      Mesa data centers will need City Council approval to build under new regulations kjzz.org

    2. (source date; the content gives no date of its own)

      Decision · Mesa (city)

      New Mesa zoning amendments direct data centers to heavy industrial zones and general industrial zones kjzz.org

  6. Also in September 2025: 1 line that is not an event of its own

    1. (content date)

      Entry

      Google's future data center in Mesa is supported by Sonoran Solar Energy Center (260 MW solar with 1 GWh battery storage), Storey Energy Center (88 MW solar and battery storage), and Babbitt Ranch Energy Center (161 MW wind farm). [23]

  7. (the month its own sentence names; no day is given; filed under Dec 11, 2025)

    Decision · Maricopa County (county)

    Maricopa County Board of Supervisors overhauled its zoning ordinance at a meeting Wednesday in December 2025 kjzz.org

  8. Also in December 2025: 3 lines that are not events of their own

    1. (source date; the content gives no date of its own)

      Decision · Maricopa County (county)

      It is the first time data centers have been defined in county zoning rules kjzz.org

    2. (source date; the content gives no date of its own)

      Decision · Maricopa County (county)

      The modernized ordinance updated how the county defines a data center and restricts them to industrial areas kjzz.org

    3. (source date; the content gives no date of its own)

      Decision · Maricopa County (county)

      Maricopa County adopted a new ordinance clarifying guidelines for data center development bizjournals.com

2026 1 event

  1. Also in February 2026: 1 line that is not an event of its own

    1. (content date)

      Entry

      Google data center operates in Mesa, Arizona, photographed January 6, 2026 [24]

  2. (content date)

    Entry

    Google entered GPLET agreement with Mesa for 25 year term with reduced property taxes [25]

  3. Also in May 2026: 7 lines that are not events of their own

    1. (content date)

      Entry

      Entire project expected to be completed by 2030 [25]

    2. (content date)

      Entry

      By 2029 minimum investment is $1 billion with 750,000 square feet of development [25]

    3. (content date)

      Entry

      By 2027 Google must invest $800 million including taxable construction costs and construct 500,000 square feet [25]

    4. (content date)

      Entry

      Total site plan outlines future stages totaling 750,000 square feet [25]

    5. (content date)

      Entry

      First phase includes 288,530 square foot data center building, utility switchyard, medium voltage substation, security kiosk, road upgrades, and employee office building [25]

    6. (content date)

      Entry

      First phase must be completed by July 2025 [25]

    7. (content date)

      Entry

      Project Red Hawk site is approximately 185 acres at northwest corner of Sossaman and Elliot roads [25]

  4. Also in June 2026: 1 line that is not an event of its own

    1. (source date; the content gives no date of its own)

      Decision · Chandler (city)

      Chandler capped data center water use youtube.com

  5. Also in August 2026: 3 statements and 1 line that is not an event of its own

    1. (content date)

      Entry

      Google Mesa data center began functioning within the past year [26]

    2. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · Google spokesperson

      Google Mesa facility is air cooled and consumes water typical of a standard office building ABC15 Arizona local outlet

    3. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · Google

      Google committed to replenish 120 percent of freshwater consumed by offices and data centers by 2030 ABC15 Arizona local outlet

    4. (content date; reported from elsewhere)

      Statement · Suzie Shin, manager of data center sustainability programs at Google

      Google donated $600,000 to Trout Unlimited for water restoration in Apache County ABC15 Arizona local outlet

  6. Also in September 2026: 19 figures from other sources and 1 line that is not an event of its own

    1. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · East Valley Tribune

      156,567,507 USD: Bill Jabjiniak, Mesa Economic Development Director, estimated the Google project will produce $156,567,507 in revenues for the city East Valley Tribune local outlet

    2. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · Construction Review

      65,000 USD: Google ensures average yearly compensation of at least $65,000 for full time data center employees Construction Review local outlet

    3. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · AZ Big Media

      11,400,000,000 USD: Google services provided more than $11.4 billion of economic activity for Arizona businesses in 2022 AZ Big Media local outlet

    4. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic

      1,000,000 gallons per day: The city would initially provide nearly 1 million gallons per day to the Google facility, which could increase to nearly 4 million gallons per day if Google meets expected development milestones azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic local outlet

    5. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic

      16,000,000 USD: Google would receive a $16 million property tax break over 25 years, while the city estimates Google operations would generate $61 million in total property taxes during that time azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic local outlet

    6. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · Latitude Media

      600,000,000 USD: Google's Mesa data center is $600 million investment Latitude Media local outlet

    7. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · blog.google

      100,000 USD: Google provided $100,000 in support of Mesa College Promise blog.google local outlet

    8. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · YouTube

      120 jobs: The Google data center is expected to employ approximately 120 people YouTube video

    9. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · abc15.com

      600,000,000 USD: Google Mesa data center cost is $600 million abc15.com local outlet

    10. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · AZ Family

      600,000,000 USD: Google announced $600 million data center investment in Mesa AZ Family local outlet

    11. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · NBC News

      4,000,000 gallons per day: Google Mesa data center projected water use, up to 4 million gallons a day (NBC News citing Bloomberg) NBC News national outlet

    12. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · AZ Big Media

      150,000 USD: Google is committing $150,000 donation to SRP for watershed restoration and wildfire risk reduction AZ Big Media local outlet

    13. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · abc15.com

      1,000,000,000 USD: Google data center campus in Mesa is $1 billion total cost abc15.com local outlet

    14. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · AZ Family

      150,000 USD: Google gave $150,000 to Salt River Project for watershed restoration and wildfire risk reduction AZ Family local outlet

    15. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · Construction Review

      1,000,000,000 USD: Google Project Red Hawk is a $1 billion data center campus in southeast Mesa Construction Review local outlet

    16. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · AZ Big Media

      120 percent: Google replenishes 120% of the water it consumes on average AZ Big Media local outlet

    17. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · SRP Newsroom

      80 percent: Google's Arizona operations are projected to reach at least 80 percent carbon free energy on an hourly basis by 2026. SRP Newsroom local outlet

    18. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic

      33,000,000 USD: Google would pay nearly $33 million instead of an estimated $48.9 million in property taxes over 25 years azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic local outlet

    19. (the day the page was read; it gives no date of its own)

      Figure · blog.google

      600 trees: Google funding 600 new trees annually through Mesa Shade Tree Program blog.google local outlet

    20. (source date; the content gives no date of its own)

      Decision · Gilbert (city)

      Gilbert leaders want strict rules on data centers to make it hard for server farms to set up shop; new rules expected in September but delayed to October or November. watereducation.org

On the timeline: a stage change; an entry that reports an act on the day the source or its own sentence gives; and a decision, a published scorecard event on a row at or under the record's county, that reports an act. Under the months: a statement that names this record, a figure another source gave about it, matched by place and developer, an entry dated only by the day its source was published, and an entry or a decision that describes rather than reports an act. Each is on the record in its own right and keeps its own link.

For researchers
Slug
google-mesa-data-center-az
Status value
under_construction
Events on the timeline
24
Under the months
91
Stage changes
9
Decisions
13
Statements
20
Figures
20
Entries and decisions under the months
51