Apple's Oregon Data Center Is About to Get a Lot Bigger

Apple's storage needs are on the rise.

The iPhone maker on Friday closed a $3.6 million deal to acquire approximately 200 acres of land in Prineville, Oregon, according to local reports. While Apple didn't say what it has planned for the site, the company in April filed for a permit on new construction that made mention of expanding data centers in the area.

Apple opened its Prineville data center in 2012. Apple, like other technology companies, does not share what it houses in its data centers, but it's believed to be at least one of the homes to iCloud, among other services.

Facebook also has data centers in Prineville. Earlier this month, Facebook said it will open a third data center in the area, which is expected to be 487,700 square feet, up from the 334,000 square feet of the existing centers.

Prineville has become a desirable spot thanks to available land and tax incentives. As The Oregonian explained earlier this year, tech firms had avoided Oregon for fear that they would be subject to pricey property taxes, but the issue was rectified by a bill signed into law in April.

Recommended by Our Editors

15 Years Later, Google Remembers Its First Data Center

Apple's decision to expand its operations in Prineville illustrates the issues companies have in housing the massive amounts of data its users are generating. With cloud services becoming increasingly ubiquitous and popular, it needs to go somewhere, and it appears that Oregon is an attractive option.