The technology giant said that it will power the data center in the outskirts of Des Moines with clean energy right from the first day of its operations. In this regard, it will work alongside local partners to make investments in renewable energy projects which would include wind among other clean power generation sources.
The new Iowa Apple data center is expected to see the start of construction in early 2018, with an aim to become operational in 2020.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said: “At Apple, we’re always looking at ways to deliver even better experiences for our customers. Our new data center in Iowa will help serve millions of people across North America who use Siri, iMessage, Apple Music and other Apple services — all powered by renewable energy.”
Apple, which had pledged to use 100% renewable energy to power all of its global operations, said that it had achieved the objective in 24 countries which includes the US.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said: “Apple’s commitment to innovation and renewable energy leadership mirrors our own. This investment in our state is vital as we continue to develop as a technology hub and grow our workforce.”
Last month, Reuters reported that Apple will build its second data center in Denmark at a cost of $921m. The data center which will come up at Aabenraa has also been planned to run on 100% renewable energy.
In June, Apple had offered a $1bn bond that would be used for funding renewable energy, to improve energy efficiency at its facilities and also on environmental projects.
Image: Illustration of Apple’s new Iowa data center which will run on 100% renewable energy. Photo: courtesy of Apple Inc.
