BEIJING, June 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Google Inc. announced Wednesday plans to develop a new high-technology campus at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California.
Under the terms of a 40-year lease agreement, Google will pay NASA an initial rent of 3.66 million U.S. dollars a year for the leasing of NASA's 42.2 acres of unimproved land to construct up to 1.2 million square feet (about 0.11 square kilometers) of offices and research and development facilities in a campus-style setting.
"This long-term lease agreement is a key component of Google's strategy for continued growth in Silicon Valley," said David Radcliffe, Google's vice president of real estate and workplace services.
Construction will proceed in three phases. The first phase is planned to begin by the end of September 2013, the second phase by 2018 and the third by 2022.
In the last four years, Google has added more than 17,000 employees, which has prompted the company to lease or buy many of the smaller offices circling its headquarters.
The lease is the latest in a series of collaborations dating back to September 2005, when Google and NASA announced plans to work together on a variety of technology-focused research and development activities.
(Agencies)
