Google will expand its data center in Dublin

Google has just received municipal approval for an expansion of its data center footprint in Dublin, according to reports today from local media outlets.

The new two-story data center will cost Google 150 million euros — around $207.7 million — and span 30,361 square meters. The existing facility, which put Google back 75 million euros, opened in September 2012.

Today’s news of Google data center growth ain’t a surprise. The play should become more commonplace as Google hustles to turn its nascent public cloud into a revenue generator more substantial than Google’s advertising business.

And reflecting that drive, Google’s cost of revenue has been going up gradually.

Other cloud providers, such as Amazon Web Services, IBM, and Microsoft, have been adding data centers lately, too.

Google recently committed to expansions in Singapore and Taiwan, although it rolled back plans for a Hong Kong site.

Now Google is bumping up its Europe presence, which makes sense from a corporate standpoint, given the company’s previous statement.

“We’ve always said we’re here for the long-term — and our data center further confirms this commitment,” Google says on a web page about the facility.