Facebook to build fourth data center in Iowa

For the last two years, Facebook has been scouting locations for yet another data center; Iowa beat out 30 states in a bid to become the next data center hub.

For the last two years, Facebook has been scouting locations for yet another data center; Iowa has beat out 30 states in a bid to become the next data center hub.

The $230 million project will convert 200 acres of Altoona into Facebook’s fourth data center.

Iowa Economic Development

City officials were kept in the dark on whether or not the deal would go through, not sure how many states they were competing with.

This is a huge economic win for Iowa – a deal that will create 2,500 construction jobs and more than 30 IT jobs. Average salaries are expected to pay $40, 000 annually and grow state income to $1 billion within 6 years.

Local business leaders also expect Facebook’s presence to boost the state’s image. Negotiations will be under way for quite some time before any land is broken, but one things for certain; Facebook’s fourth data center will put Iowa on the map.

A Shaky Deal

According to the Des Moines register, Iowans were kept in suspense up until the final hours of contract negations. Nebraska put up a fight matching Iowa on tax incentives all across the board. But Iowa was determined not to have the deal fall through. In the end, Facebook decided Iowa was indeed the best place for its next data center. The state has the engineering and construction expertise not to mention the right geographic location for wind and solar energy. Combine those attributes with low utility costs and a talented workforce and you have yourself a winner. To learn more about Facebook’s forthcoming Iowa data center, click here.