- Google Cloud partners with El Salvador to establish an office and provide Google Distributed Cloud (GDC) services, aiming to digitize the country and improve government services, healthcare, and education.
- The partnership, pending legislative approval, marks the first Latin American government to utilize cloud technology to transform the region through cloud computing.
On Tuesday, Google Cloud announced a new cooperation with the government of El Salvador to open an office and offer Google Distributed Cloud (GDC) services in the country.
The collaboration intends to digitize the country, modernize government services, and improve healthcare and education systems. The GDC will also assist in bringing infrastructure closer to where El Salvador’s data is created.
El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, believes the country is swiftly becoming a “hub for innovation.”
He also took to Twitter to announce the collaboration, complete with a smiling, smiley face emoji.
The partnership, which is subject to final legislative approval, will last seven years and will assist the government in digitizing projects and processes such as invoicing, permits, and more. According to the release, Google Cloud has become the first Latin American government to use cloud technology.
Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian believes cloud computing has the potential to “truly transform” Latin America.
“Access to cloud computing has dramatically expanded across industries and regions around the world,” he said, adding that “small businesses and the public sector can now use the same applications and services as more mature markets.”
The new GDC infrastructure will also aid El Salvador’s proactive approach to Bitcoin (BTC) adoption and integration into society. It enables Bitcoin full nodes to run the Ordinal Protocol.
Furthermore, on August 8, El Salvador awarded Binance a license to provide Bitcoin services to its citizens. Since 2021, Bitcoin has become a legal tender in the country.
The Bitcoin Beach program recently expanded to the classroom, teaching over 25,000 children about Bitcoin and assisting them in earning a “Bitcoin diploma” through the country’s education system.
With the example of one youngster who received the credential and then went to his former school to train educators about digital assets, the country has already seen direct returns on the program.
Conclusion
El Salvador’s Google Cloud partnership intends to modernize governance and help the country’s ongoing Bitcoin adoption initiatives, and it is the first such engagement with a Latin American government.
On the other hand, Google Cloud is increasing its emphasis on Web3 and AI technologies to address data ownership and project efficiency.