Google's movin' on up

The Ph.D.s, tie-dyed shirts and colorful decorative balls of the Googleplex will soon be moving to one of Silicon Valley's biggest office parks, another sign of the search star's growing prominence in the tech world. Mountain View, Calif.-based Google said this week that it will sublease the Amphitheatre Technology Center from Silicon Graphics (SGI). The property includes volleyball courts and a fitness center. Google, is relocating to accommodate its growing staff. It employs more than 1,000 people and has nearly 150 job openings posted to its Web site, not including those at international offices.

SGI is relocating its headquarters to nearby Crittenden Technology Center, where it leases additional space. SGI expects the new lease arrangement to reduce its net occupancy costs by $14 million to $17 million per year, starting in July 2004. The company, which is under financial hardship, has to reduce costs in order to break even.