Apple plans to expand Prineville data center


The company plans an addition that includes two “pods” to bolster its cloud computing services.

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BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR

Crook County officials say they are “excited” as Apple plans to build out its data center in Prineville.

The technology giant plans to build out two “pods” that will bolster its cloud computing services, according to the Bend Bulletin.

[Senior planner for Prineville Josh] Smith said he didn’t know exactly how many people would be involved in the construction, but speculated that there could be as many as 120 people working on the buildings at any one time. He added that the pods should be completed by the end of 2015.

The expansion has an estimated value of $5.88 million, according to the permit application. A separate application for just under $638,000 was filed concurrently for the same project. Mary Chapman, permit tech with the Crook County Building Department, said the secondary permit was for interior work on the building, including sewage, and would be one of several similar permits that would be filed as the project progresses. Both applications was filed the same day Gov. Kate Brown signed Senate Bill 611, legislation that would limit the way data centers get taxed.

Additionally, Apple has submitted plans to construct another data center in an adjacent piece of land.

Apple also recently set initiatives to buy “sustainable” timberlands to strengthen its commitments to the environment.

The first parcels the company targeted were in North Carolina and Maine.

From the Associated Press:

On Thursday, Apple announced a new focus on using paper from trees harvested under environmentally sound conditions. It’s also promising to use more renewable power overseas, where Apple relies heavily on contract manufacturers — and where a top executive acknowledged the company can do more.

“It’s important to us to tackle climate change everywhere we are,” Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president for environmental initiatives, told The Associated Press. “When you talk about China, you’re talking about manufacturing partners. We’re looking to bring the same innovation there. This is the start.”

Finally, Apple CEO Tim Cook made an appearance Wednesday at his company’s store near Pioneer Square in Portland.

From OregonLive.com:

It wasn’t immediately clear why Cook was at the downtown store, but he visits Oregon frequently as a member of Nike’s board. Nike does not post the dates of its board meetings, so it’s not clear if that’s why Cook is here now.

After years in a cramped space in the basement of the Pioneer Place mall, Apple opened a new, glass-fronted, 23,000-square-foot downtown store last May. The store is now exhibiting the new Apple Watch, which formally goes on sale a week from Friday.

Employees created the requisite amount of social media posts to commemorate the moment.