A report on OregonLive.com says Apple is deciding if they want to commit to building a major new data center in Oregon. The Prineville, Oregon center would be in addition to the recently opened new center in Maiden, North Carolina. Apple has until the end of this month to exercise it’s option to purchase 160 acres of land near the recently opened Facebook data center.
OregonLive.com reports:
Apple would be the latest in a quick succession of big-name tech companies to build a data center in Oregon. The state is a hot destination for server farms, which attract huge investment but employ relatively few.
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Apple did not respond to an inquiry on its plans, but the company had a team examining Facebook’s Prineville facility last summer on the same day The Oregonian visited the site.
Those familiar with the discussions say that Apple’s Oregon plans have been in flux while it awaited word on whether there would be adequate electricity transmission in Prineville to meet its needs.
With transmission capacity expanding and other companies now looking elsewhere, a door opened for Apple.
Apples project, which goes by the code name “Maverick” is believed to include a 31-megawatt data center. Maverick has an option to buy 160 acres of land now owned by Crook County. That option expires at the end of the month and regional planning officials expect a decision within the next few weeks.
“They’ve either got to say yes they are or no they aren’t,” said Bill Zelenka, Crook County’s planning director.
A potential hang-up could be Oregon tax policy. There has been some concern expressed by the way the Oregon state Department of Revenue taxes data centers.
Apple has been expected to build up West Coast data center capacity. Many large tech companies locate major facilities along both coasts of the United States to provide redundancy and optimize overall performance.
