Google announces Android system development unit for Portugal

Google is to set up a unit for the development and creation of an Android operational system in Portugal.

The Vice President of Google’s International Affairs, Kent Walker, announced the decision on Thursday alongside Portugal’s Prime Minister, António Costa.

The announcement made by Google’s highest public relations director took place at the headquarters of US technology multinational in Mountain View, Silicon Valley, California.

Kent Walker said that the pilot project for the new Google Portugal centre in Oeiras on the outskirts of Lisbon would start at the end of the year via an open tender to fill the 1000 vacancies required for the creation and development of Android operational system technology.

António Costa stressed that Google had recently made a “very significant investment in Portugal” by creating 500 jobs.

“The announcement now of the creation of this pilot academy to develop Android technology applications is extremely important because it is worth million and millions of euros in the international market”, he said.

“I hope that this pilot-project is successful and from Portugal can develop new capacity in terms of applications innovation. It will be the first time that Google will have done this in Europe and I hope it will not be the last time in Portugal,” said the prime minister.

At a press conference the Google director said that “serious and very constructive talks” had been conducted with the Portuguese Government which included the Secretary of State for Internationalisation, Eurico Brilhante Dias, and the ministers of the Economy, Manuel Caldeira Cabral and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor.

“We think that Portugal is one of the leading countries in Europe in terms of the digital economy. We want to continue to support the efforts of the Portuguese Government in developing the digitalisation of its economy,” said Kent Walker.