In 2014, there was an issue surrounding GT Advanced Technologies and Apple. The former was a company meant to help Apple product sapphire but later, and to everyone’s surprise, filed for bankruptcy. So what will become of the sapphire facility that was setup in Mesa, Arizona? Previously we had heard Apple could be thinking of repurposing it, and sure enough they have.Apple has since confirmed in a statement that the Cupertino company will be repurposing the plant and turn it into a data center. According to Kristin Huguet, a spokeswoman for Apple, “We’re proud to continue investing in the U.S. with a new data center in Arizona, which will serve as a command center for our global networks. This multibillion-dollar project is one of the largest investments we’ve ever made.”
This was also confirmed by Arizona’s governor Doug Ducey who was quoted as saying, “I got the impression from Apple that they wanted to do the right thing and we’re excited that they are doing it here in Arizona.” The new data center will see Apple employ 150 full-time Apple employees and in the process of getting it up and running, will end up employing 300-500 construction and trade jobs.
Similar to Apple’s other setups in other parts of the country, Apple will be shooting for 100% renewable energy to power the data center and will be drawing power from a new local solar farm.
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