Apple to build a new $1bn campus in Austin, Texas

Foster + Partners-designed campus in California. Image courtesy of Apple.

Apple stated that the 133-acre campus will initially accommodate 5,000 additional employees, with the capacity to grow to 15,000, and is expected to make Apple the largest private employer in Austin.

"Apple is proud to bring new investment, jobs and opportunity to cities across the United States and to significantly deepen our quarter-century partnership with the city and people of Austin," said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.

"Talent, creativity and tomorrow’s breakthrough ideas aren’t limited by region or zip code, and, with this new expansion, we’re redoubling our commitment to cultivating the high-tech sector and workforce nationwide."

The new campus will include 50 acres of preserved open space and, like all Apple facilities worldwide, its workspaces will be powered by 100% renewable energy.

The company's current facilities in Austin accommodate 6,200 staff, marking Apple's largest presence of employees outside of Cupertino. Image © Apple

"Apple is among the world’s most innovative companies and an avid creator of jobs in Texas and across the country," said Texas governor Greg Abbott.

"Their decision to expand operations in our state is a testament to the high-quality workforce and unmatched economic environment that Texas offers. I thank Apple for this tremendous investment in Texas, and I look forward to building upon our strong partnership to create an even brighter future for the Lone Star State."

Jobs created at the new campus will include a broad range of functions including engineering, R&D, operations, finance, sales and customer support. At 6,200 people, Austin already represents the largest population of Apple employees outside Cupertino.

Apple’s data centre in Reno, Nevada, is one of several US data centres the company is expanding over the next five years. Image © Apple

Apple plans to grow its employee base in regions across the United States over the next three years, expanding to over 1,000 employees in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City each, and adding hundreds of new jobs in Pittsburgh, New York, Boulder, Boston and Portland, Oregon. The company recently opened its newest office in Nashville, Tennessee and Apple’s Miami office is projected to double in size.

Apple plans to invest $10bn in US data centres over the next five years, including $4.5bn this year and next. Apple’s data centres in North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada are currently being expanded. In Iowa, preparations are underway for the company’s newest data centre in Waukee. All of the company’s data centres are run on 100% renewable energy.

Article originally published on World Architecture Community.