This afternoon Apple announced their plans to build a 400,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art data center in Waukee, Iowa, to better serve North American users of iMessage, Siri, the App Store and other Apple services. Like all Apple data centers, the new facility will run entirely on renewable energy from day one.

Apple's investment of $1.3 billion will create over 550 construction and operations jobs in the Des Moines area, and the company is contributing up to $100 million to a newly created Public Improvement Fund dedicated to community development and infrastructure around Waukee.

Tim Cook, Apple's CEO: "At Apple, we're always looking at ways to deliver even better experiences for our customers. Our new data center in Iowa will help serve millions of people across North America who use Siri, iMessage, Apple Music and other Apple services — all powered by renewable energy.

Apple is responsible for 2 million jobs in all 50 states and we're proud today's investment will add to the more than 10,000 jobs we already support across Iowa, providing even more economic opportunity for the community."

Construction on the data center is expected to start early next year and Apple plans to bring it online in 2020.

Waukee Mayor Bill Peard: "Waukee is proud to welcome Apple. This new facility will bring with it high-quality jobs and important infrastructure developments for the city. We look forward to a continued partnership with Apple on this effort for decades to come."

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds: "We're honored Apple is choosing Iowa for the site of its most technologically advanced data center to date. Apple's commitment to innovation and renewable energy leadership mirrors our own. This investment in our state is vital as we continue to develop as a technology hub and grow our workforce.

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