Google has announced plans to spend $740 million across five-years in Australia.

At a virtual event in Sydney, Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said that the investment would focus on a number of key areas.

“First, it will help develop Australia’s digital infrastructure, focused on cloud computing,” said Pichai. “Cloud is helping Australian companies innovate and grow in every part of the economy.”

He said that the money would also broaden the opportunity for local tech talent — including the launch of the company’s first research hub in Australia. Google plans to build a team of local researchers and engineers to help tackle important issues.

Part of the investment will also go towards developing new technology partnerships to help “solve Australian and global challenges.”

“That includes working with the CSIRO team to explore clean energy and protecting the Great Barrier Reef, and with Macquarie University to advance quantum computing,” added the chief exec.

In January, Google threatened to block its search engine in Australia if the government went ahead with a code that forces tech companies to pay for content from media companies.

The new mandatory code of conduct, called the News Media Bargaining Code, did go ahead in the end. Google did not block its search engine from Australian users but instead launched a news platform and secured deals with the country’s top media companies.

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