Earlier this week, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) have started to make plans to expand their networks to add data centers in the same location: Prineville, Oregon. When the new centers are completed, both companies will have a combined 1.2 million square feet of data center space. They also have enough land to expand beyond that.
It’s amazing how a town as small as Prineville has attracted big name tech companies, especially considering how small their population is, at less than 10,000.
Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) came to Prineville first, as they started to build a 334,000 square foot data center two years ago, and now they’re completing a companion facility which is supposed to be about 360,ooo square feet. They also own about 120 acres of land. It’s reported that this week, Mark Zuckerberg’s company will start to build another facility that measures 60,000 square feet. No word on whether their third project will be a data center or another facility.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) submitted their plan to slowly build their data centers over time. They plan to build up to 500,000 square feet of space. Right now, they’re about to finish a 10,000 square foot data center facility.
The lead of Prineville’s Economic Development for Central Oregon, Jason Carr thinks that “it would not be surprising if there was more than or close to two million square feet in data center space between the two companies.”
It’s a wonderful thing when big companies bring business to smaller towns and cities. Although there is no word on why Prineville is quickly becoming a hotspot for data centers, it’s clear that tech businesses want to start up in places they can expand. It’s only a matter of time until other tech companies choose to move or expand to Prineville. I really doubt Central Oregon will become the next silicon valley, but I think the area will probably grow significantly in size and population, thanks to the increase in jobs.
