Showing posts with label Data center. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Data center. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Governor McAuliffe Announces Third Microsoft Expansion in Mecklenburg County

English: The Microsoft Logo
English: The Microsoft Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
~ Company to invest $346.7 million and create 90 new jobs~

RICHMOND - Governor Terry McAuliffe announced today that Microsoft Corp. will invest $346.7 million to expand its data center site in Mecklenburg County and increase capacity to serve its growing customer base. Virginia successfully competed against other sites in the U.S. for the project, which will create 90 new jobs. Microsoft’s original project in 2010 involved an investment of up to $499 million and 50 new jobs. In 2011 the company invested an additional $150 million to expand the site, and in 2013 announced a $348 million expansion.

Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor McAuliffe said, “Microsoft’s data center campus in Mecklenburg County continues to represent transformational growth, opportunity, and investment for the region and for Virginia. The third expansion project brings the company’s total capital investment to more than $1.3 billion since 2010. Microsoft’s success and continued investment is a powerful testament to the benefits of doing business in Virginia and the thriving data center industry in the Commonwealth.”

“Microsoft has played an important role in the success of Mecklenburg County and Southern Virginia since the establishment of its data center site in 2010,” said Maurice Jones, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade. “The company continues to grow its operation, and this significant expansion is another example of state partners working together to meet a corporation’s needs within a short timeframe. As Microsoft’s customer base expands, we remain ready to help facilitate its success any way we can. We thank the company for its continued commitment and investment in Virginia.”
Founded in 1975, Microsoft is the worldwide leader in software, services, devices and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
“We are excited to continue building our relationship with the Commonwealth of Virginia and the County of Mecklenburg,” said Christian Belady, General Manager, Data Center Services, Global Foundation Services at Microsoft. “Each expansion allows us to better meet our customers’ growing cloud service needs. As with the other expansions, we’re using the same state-of-the-art technology that minimizes environmental impact while maximizing our customers’ computing capacity.”

The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Mecklenburg County to secure the project for Virginia. Dominion Virginia Power, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, and the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation also were instrumental in securing this project. Governor McAuliffe approved a $1.6 million grant from the Governor’s Opportunity Fund to assist Mecklenburg County with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission approved $1.6 million in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the project.

“Mecklenburg County is again very pleased to announce another expansion of Microsoft,” said Glenn Barbour, Chairman of the Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisors. “Our County Administrator Wayne Carter has been working closely with the company to offer all the assistance our county could provide. This expansion opens up many more opportunities for our county to offer jobs to our citizens and greatly expand our economic base. I encourage our citizens to pursue these opportunities. We look forward to working with Microsoft well into the future.”
"I am immensely proud that Mecklenburg County has proven to be a good place for Microsoft to continue to grow and expand," said Senator Frank Ruff, Vice Chairman of the Virginia Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission.

“We are pleased to work with and support the efforts of Mecklenburg County and the Virginia Economic Development Partnership to encourage business growth and expansion in the Commonwealth,” said Robert M. Blue, President of Dominion Virginia Power. “We are ready to do our part to make this opportunity a success for all involved.”

“We are proud that our robust, open-access fiber optic network continues to pay economic dividends to Southern Virginia,” said Tad Deriso, President & CEO of the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation. “We appreciate the strong support and collaboration with the Microsoft network team, and look forward to our continued partnership.”

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Governor McDonnell Announces $150 Million Investment in Loudoun County

English: The scenic byways of Loudoun County a...
English: The scenic byways of Loudoun County are spotted with historical structures dating back to before the Civil War. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
~Digital Realty to create at least 50 new jobs in expansion~

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell today announced that Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: DLR), a leading global provider of data center solutions, plans to invest at least $150 million by 2015 in its Loudoun County operation. The company is expanding and upgrading data center facilities in Loudoun County, and expecting to create at least 50 new jobs through June 30, 2015.

            Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor McDonnell said, “Digital Realty maintains a strong Virginia presence, and with this major investment will grow and upgrade its operation in Loudoun County in order to more effectively serve customers with data centers located in the Commonwealth. The abundant data center infrastructure in Virginia, as well as our Sales & Use Tax Exemption incentive for data center owners and their tenants, are major benefits that put us at the forefront of this booming industry. This significant relief on computer equipment effectively lowers the total cost of ownership and operation, and enables Digital Realty and its customers to continue to grow and thrive in the Commonwealth.”

            “Digital Realty is an important corporate partner and among the major players in this competitive market that have recognized the benefits of a Virginia location,” said Jim Cheng, Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade. “More than 50 percent of the world’s Internet traffic passes through the Commonwealth’s state-of-the-art infrastructure, and the company’s significant investment and expansion is a testament to Virginia’s leadership in the technology sector.”

            Digital Realty Trust, Inc. focuses on delivering customer driven data center solutions by providing secure, reliable and cost effective facilities that meet each customer's unique data center needs. Digital Realty's customers include domestic and international companies across multiple industry verticals ranging from information technology and Internet enterprises, to manufacturing and financial services. Digital Realty's 122 properties, excluding three properties held as investments in unconsolidated joint ventures, comprise approximately 22.7 million square feet as of April 26, 2013, including 2.6 million square feet of space held for development. Digital Realty's portfolio is located in 32 markets throughout Europe, North America, Asia and Australia.

            “This sales tax exemption is really a boon for our customers with data centers located in Loudoun County—already one of the most attractive data center markets in the country,” said Michael F. Foust, Chief Executive Officer of Digital Realty. “The significant relief we and our customers expect to receive effectively lowers the total cost of ownership of our data centers in the area. We are very excited about this development and believe it further establishes Virginia as a key hub for companies seeking to locate or strengthen their east coast data center footprint.”

            The company will be eligible for a sales tax exemption on eligible data center computer equipment as a result of legislation passed in 2009 by the General Assembly. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Loudoun County to grant the exemption to Digital Realty.

            “Loudoun County, Virginia is one of the strongest data center markets in the country, with five million square feet of data center space clustered in Data Center Alley, and another three million square feet in development,” says Buddy Rizer, Assistant Director of the Loudoun County Department of Economic Development. “We’re very pleased that Digital Realty, with more than one million square feet of space, is the largest data center operator in Loudoun County. And we look forward to the completion of their newest building, a 400,000-square-foot facility that will ultimately house 22 data centers.”
Enhanced by Zemanta