Apple plans to invest US$2bn in a new global Data Command Centre in Arizona, on the site of the failed manufacturing site that was intended to produce sapphire screens for iPhones and iPads.
The Data Command Centre will employ 150 full-time personnel and will result in between 300 and 500 construction jobs.
The centre will host the consumer tech company’s data operations across the globe.
The facility previously housed GT Advanced Technologies, which went bankrupt last year.
As part of its bankruptcy agreement with Apple over outstanding debt, Apple agreed to acquire some of the failed company’s assets.
Apple had partnered with GT Advanced Technologies in 2013 to construct a manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona, which would produce scratch-resistant screens for iPhone and iPad devices.
Had the project flourished it would have generated 2,000 jobs.
Instead, GT Advanced Technologies filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October and closed the plant.
It is understood the new data centre will be powered by renewable energy and will set the template for future data centres that will be deployed globally.
Apple Store New York image via Shutterstock
