Google unveils €1B Austrian data center as European expansion accelerates

Christine Antlanger-Winter, Managing Director of Google Austria and Switzerland, has announced one of the largest investments ever made in Upper Austria. A new data center—Google's 37th worldwide—will be built in Kronstorf near Steyr.

The 46-year-old studied media design and technology at the University of Applied Sciences in Hagenberg. She began her career in 1998 at Softwarepark Hagenberg—the same year Google was founded. For the company's leadership in Mountain View, California, Antlanger-Winter is a key figure in Europe. In Zurich, Google's largest research and development hub outside the U.S. (with projected global revenue of $400 billion in 2025), she oversees 5,000 employees working on improvements to the Google search engine, Gmail, and other projects. She lives in Zurich with her two sons, aged 11 and 13, and her husband, who hails from Austria's Innviertel region. Privately, she splits her time between Zurich and a residence in Upper Austria—"somewhere between Innviertel and Wilhering," though she reveals little else.

Antlanger-Winter describes herself as deeply connected to nature. "I love cycling and am a passionate gardener," she says. While she won't disclose her favorite dish, she admits, "I really enjoy cooking."

At the Kronstorf event, guests were welcomed with a "Googlhupf" (a play on Gugelhupf, a traditional Austrian cake). Her other great passion is music—not just listening across genres, but playing instruments herself.