ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal announced yesterday that social media giant Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) will invest $750 million and create at least 100 full-time jobs with its new data center in Stanton Springs, a 1,620-acre industrial park located roughly 30 miles east of Atlanta in Newton County.
The Newton Data Center will include two buildings totaling 970,000 square feet and will help Menlo Park, Calif.-based Facebook provide apps and services to more than 2 billion people around the world. The new facility will be Facebook’s ninth data center in the United States. New jobs will include positions in engineering and management, as well as opportunities for data center technicians.
The Newton Data Center will be fully powered by clean and renewable energy, and cooled using outdoor air instead of air conditioners. The facility will also house Facebook’s specialized hardware that powers its apps and other services. The buildings are expected to be fully operational in 2020.
EJane Caraway, director of life sciences and corporate solutions for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, represented the state’s Global Commerce Division in partnership with the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton counties, Walton EMC, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Georgia Power and other state and local agencies.
The development could spur an additional $42 billion in investment over the next 20 years, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.
Last year, Facebook opened a $1 billion data center in Fort Worth, Texas, which included over 440,000 square feet of server space.
Facebook’s stock price closed at $183.71 per share on Wednesday, March 7, up from $137.72 one year ago.
— Kristin Hiller and Camren Skelton