It’s now official – Facebook will build a new data center in Altoona, Iowa.
Rumors preceded Tuesday’s official announcement that the state-of-the-art facility will be built in Iowa. The first phase is a 476,000-square-foot building on a 194-acre site in Altoona, a suburb just outside northeastern Des Moines. The site could accommodate two additional buildings in the future.
The Iowa Economic Development Authority approved $18 million in tax incentives to Facebook. In return, the company will create at least 31 new jobs at the new site with a wage of at least $23.12 per hour as part of the state’s High Quality Jobs program.
The Facebook data center is expected to create hundreds of construction jobs and dozens of full-time operations jobs according to a statement from Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, who was on hand for the official announcement.
Facebook has promised a minimum $299.5 million investment in the project.
“Today’s announcement further solidifies Iowa’s position as a destination for tech companies – from major data center operations like Facebook’s to the innovative start-ups – we continue to see popping up around our state,” Branstad said. “Our productive workforce and our overall cost of doing business help us to win great projects like this.”
