Apple Announces Plans For $1B Research Triangle Hub

Apple has announced plans for the construction of a campus and engineering hub in the Research Triangle, NC area as the centerpiece of a $1 billion-plus investment in the state.

The company said the project will create at least 3,000 new jobs in machine learning, artificial intelligence, 5G technology, software engineering, silicon engineering, and other cutting-edge fields.

In conjunction with the endeavor, Apple is pledging to establish a $100 million fund to support schools and community initiatives in the greater Raleigh-Durham area and across the state.

Community betterment in the state will also get a boost from the project, said Apple, from a contribution of over $110 million in infrastructure spending to the 80 counties North Carolina counties with the greatest need.

When finished, the investments should generate over $1.5 billion in economic benefits annually for North Carolina, Apple predicted.

The North Carolina hub is the latest in a series of aggressive real estate projects by the computer and smart phone giant.

In Texas, Apple has construction underway for a $1 billion campus in Austin with occupancy slated to begin next year.

In Iowa, the design process is underway for a data center in Waukee expected to create over 500 construction and operations jobs. Community infrastructure improvements for the project includes the creation of a 66-acre recreation area.

In California, expansion of its state-of-the-art campus in Culver City is aimed at allowing for the addition of more than 3,000 employees by 2026.

In Indiana, Apple is preparing a $100 million Advanced Manufacturing Fund investment to open a state-of-the-art facility and distribution center in Clayton, which will be operated by XPO Logistics.

Apple said it is accelerating its US investments, with plans to make new contributions of more than $430 billion and add 20,000 new jobs across the country over the next five years. The company is setting a target of creating 20,000 additional jobs in states across the country over the next five years.

Apple’s planned expansion over the long term happens as tech’s share of office leases is down over the short term.

Tech dropped as a portion of office leasing in the nation to 17% last year from 21% in 1919, CBRE has reported.

The decline in office space tech took was considerably more severe: a 48% slash from all of 2019 to 26 million square feet.