Another tech giant is on the lookout for a new location. Google is looking to open a new operations center that would employ anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. While no official announcements have been made, it appears that Chicago is advanced discussions with Google about the new office.

Naturally, Chicago is not the only contender for this project. Other top cities include Atlanta, Boston, and Dallas, according to the report.

Why Chicago? 

Fulton Market photo by Shutterstock.com

Google already has a presence in Chicago, albeit much smaller than the proposed operations center. Right now, Google has an office with approximately 800 employees in Fulton Market, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. 

Google is seeking to enter markets with talented employees in areas other than the West Coast tech hub.

"They're looking for something big and off of the West Coast," said an unspecified source, according to the report.

Chicago is also coming into its own as a leading tech hub, which could attract Google. A 2017 KPMG report listed Chicago as one of the top 10 up-and-coming innovation hubs in the world. Other U.S. cities on the list include Boston, New York, and Washington, D.C. 

When Will Google Make a Decision? 

Both Google and Chicago’s City Hall declined to comment on the new location, but the Crain’s Chicago Business article speculates that a decision will be announced this year.

If Google does select Chicago, it is likely the tech company will want a central location within the city, according to the report.

Google may also take a different approach to this decision and select more than one city. Different parts of this project could be split up and put in different places, according to the report.

Google and Amazon Parallels

Google Headquarters, Mountain View, CA photo by Christian Barmala

Google’s plans to find a new location clearly echo Amazon’s plans to build a new headquarters, although the competition for Amazon’s HQ2 campus has garnered quite a bit more buzz. 

While Chicago has yet to comment publicly on the possibility of an expanding Google footprint, the city has made its desire for Amazon’s new campus very clear. The city is offering Amazon a $2.2 billion incentive package and the pick of 10 different sites in the city and state. 

While landing both the Amazon and Google deals would no doubt be a coup for Chicago, the odds of this happening are not clear. Crain’s Chicago Business points out that both Amazon and Google are conducting a search for new locations because competition in their existing markets is making it difficult to land top talent. Will both companies want to settle their new locations in the same city?

Amazon is expected to announce the finalists for its new location this winter, Crain’s Chicago Business reports. The timeline for Google’s announcement is less concrete.