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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Microsoft Invests $348 Million To Expand Its Mecklenburg County, Virginia, Data Center

01/30/2013
Microsoft Corp. will invest $348 million to expand its modular data center site in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, creating another 30 new jobs in the region.

The company will build two additional facilities on its data center campus to increase capacity to serve its growing customer base. Microsoft's original project in 2010 involved an investment of up to $499 million and 50 new jobs. In 2011 the company invested an additional $150 million to expand the site. As part of its commitment to carbon neutrality, Microsoft said it is offsetting the gross carbon emissions from this data center by purchasing an equivalent amount of renewable energy credits.

"We appreciate the strong working relationship with the State of Virginia and the County of Mecklenburg," said Christian Belady, general manager of Microsoft Data Center Services. "This expansion will allow us to meet the growing demand from consumers and businesses for our cloud services in the region in an increasingly efficient manner. These facilities showcase state-of-the-art designs developed from our latest technology and infrastructure research that continues to minimize water, energy use, and building costs, while increasing computing capacity, software capabilities, and server utilization."

Governor Bob McDonnell said "in 2010 we were confident that Microsoft's plans to establish one of its most advanced data centers in Mecklenburg County would be a transformational project. This second expansion within 16 months of the previous one is a great testament to Microsoft's success and commitment to Virginia. The company continues to grow its cloud operations, representing a total of nearly one billion dollars in capital investment. The Commonwealth is one of the most active data center markets in the country, and Microsoft's rapid development helps continue to establish us an industry leader."

"The Commonwealth's critical IT infrastructure enables us to attract global companies like Microsoft, which continually proves itself as an essential corporate partner to Southern Virginia," said Jim Cheng, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade. "We thank the company for its major investments in Mecklenburg County, and remain committed to a strong alliance as the operation grows."

As an incentive, Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Mecklenburg County to secure the project for Virginia. Governor McDonnell approved a $200,000 grant from the Governor's Opportunity Fund to assist Mecklenburg County with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved $2 million in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the project.

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