Five years after constructing its datacenter in Reno, Nevada, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is till holding onto the ambitions of expanding it. It is for this reason that the iPhone maker has put aside $1 billion, primarily for the proposed expansion of the technology campus. The new move is expected to help in escalating the region through the 300 temporary construction-based jobs it will create.
An opportunity to place the region on the technology and innovation map
Apple took the responsibility for constructing the data center in 2012. Instantaneously, it was granted $89 million in state property and sales tax abatements. The commitment was no mean feat according to Gov. Brian Sandoval who says it is among the first significant economic advancement successes in northern Nevada.
The region is home to Apple’s largest solar investment christened, ‘“powering our data center with clean energy.” At the moment Apple has close to 700 employees in Nevada and the $1 billion investment is expected to create an additional 100 jobs. All these activities put together, Sandoval says they will help in placing the region on an advanced innovation map.
“Apple’s decision to increase their local investment by $1 billion is a testament to our successful partnership and a demonstration that the best companies in the world are coming to Nevada,” Sandoval stated.
But the jobs may not be directly under Apple
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook says that they have a keen eye on increasing manufacturing jobs across the United States. However, Cook did not reveal the specific jobs but was also quick to state that they may not be necessarily under Apple.
There are chances that the tech giant could be working with its major iPhone manufacturer Foxconn. Hence, this is where the jobs are likely to be coming from. Nonetheless, Terry Gou, Foxconn president has also talked about their interest in storming the US market with capital intensive investment.
In other news, Apple’s global tax practices have been questioned. Reports have it that the Cupertino giant has not been remitting its New Zealand taxes for the last 10 years even after making $4.2 billion worth of sales.
Meanwhile, Apple’s stock closed at $153.26 a fall of $0.73 or 0.47%.
