Global software giant Microsoft has picked a site in the US State of Virginia for its next modular data center build. The company plans to invest up to $499m in the project, according to a news release from the office of Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell.

 

Bob McDonnell said the project in Mecklenburg County will be the "largest economic investment in Southern Virginia history." The state competed against North Carolina and Texas for the data center build, expected to create about 50 new jobs in the area. 

 

The state government issued a $2.1m grant to the county to assist with the project. The county received another $4.8m grant for assistance with the project from a state-formed economic development organization. 

 

Kevin Timmons, general manager of Microsoft Datacenter Services, expressed gratitude to local and state officials for their work in support of the project. "This new data center will enable the best possible delivery of services to our current and future customers," Timmons said in a statement. 

 

"My team and I look forward to engaging in the deployment of our latest modular solution in Virginia." 

 

Microsoft has recently changed the design and construction strategy for its data center infrastructure. In March, Timmons announced at the DatacenterDynamics conference in New York that the company would ship pre-assembled data center containers – called ITPAC’s – to a data center construction site, streamlining the process. ITPAC stands for IT pre-assembled component.