Facebook To Build $1 Billion Data Center In Virginia (cnn.com)

It's official: Facebook will be investing $1 billion in a new data center in Henrico County, which is just outside Richmond, Virginia. According to CNNMoney, Facebook is putting $750 million into construction and $250 million to multiple solar facilities that will power the data center. From the report: The investment is expected to create 100 full-time jobs. Facebook will receive about $19 million in state tax exemptions through 2035, according to the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. Facebook already has data centers in Oregon, North Carolina and Iowa. Centers in Fort Worth, Texas; Los Lunas, New Mexico; and New Albany, Ohio are currently under construction. "One of the many important factors in our search for a new data center location is being able to source clean and renewable energy. We also look for great partnerships within the local community, robust infrastructure ... and a strong pool of local talent," Rachel Peterson, Facebook's director of data center strategy, said in a statement.

Comments

not close to the CIA or NSA?

[mtaht]

I'd have thought they'd have tried to build next door to CIA HQ or the NSA, or even co-located.

Re:not close to the CIA or NSA?

[peektwice]

It's only 99 miles to Fairfax. The National Reconnaissance Office will welcome the easy access to your traffic.

Re:not close to the CIA or NSA?

[Bushwuly]

Site is around 100 miles from DC, along a fiber trunk that's already tapped into by another data center. Richmond International is about six miles away.

Also, you didn't think fb would let that nearby MAREA cable go to waste, did you?

Facebook could have done better

[The Grim Reefer]

The investment is expected to create 100 full-time jobs. Facebook will receive about $19 million in state tax exemptions through 2035

I'm somewhat shocked that Facebook didn't get a tax break that was an order of magnitude higher. If those numbers are correct, then my tax money is only paying $10,555 of each of those 100 salaries per year for the next 18 years. I would have expected to have been paying ten times that on $70K salaries. That seems more like the way these deals go. Of course with Fort Meade being only 90 miles away and Langley 60, the NSA and CIA are probably making up the difference.

Re:Another Repulican controller state

[tomhath]

Just the construction of a billion dollar data center will probably recoup that $19M, not to mention the taxes that will still be paid on the facility every year.

Re:Another Repulican controller state

[dcw3]

Yeah...go give away $19million in tax breaks to a multi-billion dollar company, for 100 jobs. Yeah, really brilliant!

If you think VA is only getting 100 jobs, then you missed the fact that $1B is being spent. Where do you think that money going?...how many workers is that going to employ and how long? How many small businesses spawn off of 100 new jobs...who feeds all those people, and their families? It's not as simple as 100 jobs at $190k a piece.