Search engine giant, Google Inc, has announced plans to invest up to US$600 million in the construction of a new data center in North Carolina.
The announcement ends months of fevered speculation in the media concerning the proposed location.
According to an official announcement, Google will build the facility in Lenoir, 70 miles northwest of Charlotte, and will receive as much as $4.8 million in tax benefits from the state if it creates and maintains 210 jobs as planned at the server farm. The total incentives could exceed $100 million.
The average annual salary at the data center is expected to be $48,300, about $20,000 more than the average salary in Caldwell County.
"The data center we're planning to build in Lenoir will help support continued growth in our online services," Lloyd Taylor, Google's director of global operations said in a statement. "We look forward to joining the local community and are grateful for the support from the state and local governments throughout our evaluation process."
The company has yet to release details of the construction, projected timeline of the project and when completion is expected.
Speculation is also mounting that Google is behind submissions for a massive data center proposed for a 466 acre site in Blythewood, South Carolina. It is thought that the $200 million to $800 million data center could be built in two stages.
Little is known about the plan which has the code name Project Y, with company and government officials remaining tight-lipped.
According to The State.com the city of Columbia is in the process of transferring 295 acres in Blythewood, bandied about as a possible Google site, to an unnamed party. Columbia City Council gave final approval 13 December to an ordinance authorizing transfer of the land, south of Blythewood. Initial approval was given 29 November. The ordinance did not say to whom the land was being transferred.