Google announced Thursday that it plans to open its first Minnesota office in the city of Rochester, home of the Mayo Clinic.
The company will office out of Collider Coworking in the historic Conley-Maass-Downs building in downtown Rochester, Google said in a press release.
Google and Mayo Clinic announced a partnership in September 2019 that has included projects like moving Mayo’s data to the cloud, exploring the use of AI to help physicians develop radiotherapy plans, and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Part of what drew us to partner with Google was our shared cultures of collaboration,” said Cris Ross, Mayo Clinic’s chief information officer.
“While the pandemic has accelerated usage of many valuable forms of remote collaboration and virtual health services, it has also caused us to truly appreciate in-person experiences and connection. We’re excited to have this physical space designed to deepen our bond and facilitate innovation, where Google engineers will work side by side with Mayo Clinic researchers, physicians, information technology staff and data scientists, to apply advanced computing techniques to health care problems,” he added.
Rochester Mayor Kim Norton said the announcement is a “testament to our reputation as a first class city.”
“Google putting down roots in Minnesota will provide sustained economic opportunity not only for the Rochester area, but for our entire state,” added Gov. Tim Walz. “This partnership with the Mayo Clinic reinforces Minnesota’s reputation as a welcoming state for innovation and economic opportunity. We welcome Google to our community.”
Sen. Patricia Torres Ray, DFL-Minneapolis, said communities in Greater Minnesota “are declining” during a recent Senate floor debate on providing state aid to Minneapolis during ex-officer Derek Chauvin’s trial.
“You do not have a tax base as big as mine,” she said. “The Twin Cities are the economic engine of the state of Minnesota. Our taxes pay for your roads, for your police officers — many things that you do not have the tax base to pay for.”
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
