As the amount of data businesses and organizations use continues to grow and all of that data needs to be stored somewhere. With more than 2 billion users and an ever growing amount of data, Facebook is investing $750 million over the next five years to build a data center outside of Atlanta as the demand for data storage continues to increase.
The social media giant's 9th U.S. data center will be built in Newton County, which is about 45 miles east of downtown Atlanta.
The data center will consist of two buildings occupying about 970,000 square feet and will be powered exclusively with renewable energy. according to a report from the Atlanta Business Chronicle. The 100 percent renewable energy data center will likely be solar powered and will create up to 100 tech jobs. Construction is expected to start immediately.
Facebook, which will develop the campus in four phases, would invest nearly $2.5 billion in improvements and equipment through 2029.
This amount does not include land acquisition costs or periodic investments in equipment upgrades and replacements.
"Our Newton Data Center will be part of the valuable infrastructure that helps bring Facebook apps and services to 2+ billion people across the globe," Facebook said in a news release. "These buildings, and the hardware inside of them, support our mission to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. This data center will help us continue to provide a good experience for people around the world, especially as the number of photos and videos being shared grows and as we create more immersive experiences through live video, 360 photos and videos, and virtual reality."
This Quick Read was submitted by Ryan Berlin, managing editor of Facility Maintenance Decisions.
