(The Center Square) – Apple’s next four years investment of $500 billion and 20,000 new jobs will feed the North Carolina market by way of expanding data center capacity.
The 1976 creation of Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne is a leading American manufacturer of personal computers, smartphones and tablet computers. Valued at $3.72 trillion, Apple operates a four facility data center campus in the Catawba County community of Maiden.
The announcement on Monday – triggered by a social media post from CEO Tim Cook – from the company said it would, in addition to the valuation and jobs commitment, start producing servers in Houston in 2026. Data center capacity, in addition to Maiden, will also be expanded at locations in Iowa, Oregon, Arzona and Nevada.
Exact investment dollars and jobs for North Carolina were not included in Apple’s release.
The main iDataCenter in Maiden, on Startown Road in Newton, is 500,000 square feet. There is also a 21,030 square foot tactical data center, and two others of about 240,000 square feet each. The four buildings collectively have 1 million square feet.
About 400 people are employed and investment to date since inception in 2010 is roughly $3 billion. The company nearly four years ago said it would continue investing over 10 years at a valuation of about $448 million.
Power supply includes three solar farms across the street, in Conover and in Claremont; and a 10-megawatt fuel cell installation. The location has earned a Platinum ranking in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system.
“This is a great win for North Carolina,” U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis wrote on social media. “Apple’s decision to expand its data center capacity in North Carolina will help create new jobs for North Carolinians.”
Last summer, Apple scaled back on a large campus development in the Raleigh area. The company said it did remain committed to the $1 billion expansion in the Research Triangle Park that is expected to bring 3,000 jobs.
Apple added 600 jobs in Raleigh coming out of COVID-19 and leading up to the June announcement.
“As a proud American company,” Cook said in his social media post on Monday morning, “we’re thrilled to continue to make significant investments in the U.S. Today, we’re announcing a $500 billion commitment to support American innovation, advanced manufacturing, and high-tech job creation.”
Apple employs about 1,600 people in the state inclusive of its data centers.
