More evidence has been uncovered that Apple intends to double the size of its soon-to-be-operational 500,000 square-foot data center in North Carolina. Apple, in 2009, purchased 70 acres just across the street from the already-disclosed location of its Maiden, NC site, according to new reports. The news appears to support rumors that the Cupertino, Calif. company will eventually create a 1-million acre site to support future streaming media ventures.
Initially, when in 2009 Apple acquired land for a second data center in addition to its Newark, Calif. locations, reports put the land purchase at 183 acres. However, this new report supports talk of a “Phase 2” which would create a second mirror-image of the previously-disclosed data center.
Despite local chatter the newly-discovered 70 acres will be for Apple offices, a more likely reason is the land will be used to build more data support, the new report suggests. Apple has spent a reported $1 billion for the facility and hired staff, without disclosing the site’s purpose. A frequently-mentioned possible purpose is to support Apple’s expected entry into “cloud computing.”
In July, Apple finance chief Peter Oppenheimer told reporters the company “to complete [the NC site] by the end of the calendar year, and begin to use it.” The center is five times the size of the Newark location. Many observers view Apple’s recent product updates as clues that the iPhone maker will place greater reliance on data streaming or cloud computing. The reworked AppleTV has just 8GB of storage, while the just-released MacBook Air employs only 64GB of flash memory.
The site’s importance can also be seen in Apple’s willingness to buy-out potential problems. The Cupertino, Calif. company recently made headlines when it spent $1.7 million to relocate a one-acre family homestead located near the data center.
In related news, there is word Apple intends to block developers from its iTunes Connect service for the Thanksgiving period, in addition to the usual Christmas timeframe. The move is being viewed by some as further evidence Apple plans to migrate the iTunes service to the new North Caroline data site.
