Google and Apple are placing big bets on the future of computing. They say the future will involve having all our data and apps in a giant internet cloud called cloud computing. It's nice to see this ethereal idea of cloud computing begins with concrete on the ground.
Apple is close to officially dropping a billion dollars for a new data center in Maiden, North Carolina. Construction of the 500,000-square feet building could begin in August and would be completed by late 2010 employing some 750 construction workers.
The new Apple facility will be the company’s East Coast operations center and would according to some take advantage of the 3 hour time change on the East Coast to facilitate communications between European operations/sales and California for data transmission. This data center is close to twice the $600 million that Google is investing in a large data center in Lenoir, NC, 28 miles to the north.
The new Apple facility will be the company’s East Coast operations center and would according to some take advantage of the 3 hour time change on the East Coast to facilitate communications between European operations/sales and California for data transmission. This data center is close to twice the $600 million that Google is investing in a large data center in Lenoir, NC, 28 miles to the north.
Catawba County Board of Commissioners and the Maiden Town Council approved economic incentive packages that could grant Apple $20.7 million in tax breaks during the next 10 years. Last month, the state changed its tax calculations to land the data center, giving Apple a tax break estimated at $46 million in the next 10 years.
So, what makes this area a good location, especially from an infrastructure point of view? Here are seven reasons, not including the healthy tax breaks.
- Up to 120+ MW available to site from Duke Energy (45% Nuclear)
- Low cost reliable power - 3.8 - 4.4 cents/kilowatt hour
- Multiple Transmission lines at multiple voltages
- Low natural disaster risk
- Multiple fiber carriers (AT&T DukeNet Charter PalmettoNet)
- 1 mile to AT&T Central Office, 4.6 miles to redundant AT&T CO
- Water: Town of Maiden – 12” main in street and Town of Newton – 12” redundant main available
Related Post: Behind the Scenes at a Google Data Center
Updated:
- 07.12.09 : The data center will use about 20 megawatts annually – enough to power 16,000 homes. From Charlotte Observer
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