Tim Cook breaks ground on Apple’s new Reno data center

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Apple helped turn Reno, Nevada, into a booming city.
Apple helped turn Reno, Nevada, into a booming city.
Photo: Lvtalon/Wikipedia CC

One of Apple’s most important data centers is about to get a $1 billion expansion.

Apple CEO Tim Cook was on hand today for the groundbreaking ceremony of the expanded data center in Reno, Nevada, that the company uses to power services like FaceTime, iMessage and iCloud.

“Reno plays an incredibly important role in the products and services that we provide our customers worldwide,” Cook said during the event. “Without the data center here, none of this would be possible.”

The groundbreaking came just after Apple revealed it will build a brand new campus later this year. That project is part of the company’s plan to contribute $350 billion to the U.S. economy in the next five years.

Once the expansion is completed, Apple’s Reno data center will house about 100 employees. Construction for the expansion will employ another 300 people.

Apple moved into downtown Reno when it first started building its data center in 2012. $1.6 billion was initially spent on the data center, which spans 1.1 million square feet. Since Apple settled down in Reno, other companies like Tesla and Google have expanded operations into the area.

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