Apple is set to join Facebook, Amazon, and Google in building a data centre on the outskirts of Prineville, Oregon, according to local newspaper, The Oregonian.
As with Apple’s recently opened data centre in Maiden, North Carolina, local government incentives seem to be a big part of the area’s attraction for all four companies. Low power costs are also a factor, according to The Oregonian.
‘Rural “enterprise zones” spare computers and other equipment from the property taxes that other businesses pay. The exemption could be worth several million dollars or more to Apple, depending on the size of its investment,’ reported the paper.
One obstacle to a deal could be the ability of the local utility company to provide enough juice to power the centre. The number of large data centres already in the area, along with plans by Facebook to expand its plant mean that the Bonneville Power Administration has had to bring forward plans to upgrade the local substation and increase its capacity. The decision by hosting company, Rackspace, and one other unnamed company to house there new centres elsewhere, however, means that their may be enough spare capacity for Apple.
Last week the Wall Street Journal reported that Apple was recruiting senior managers for its cloud division as it rolls out iCloud and prepares for a future where more of our data will be stored and accessed remotely.
