Facebook reportedly planning $750M expansion of Huntsville Data Center
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Did you know that Facebook had nearly 1.85 billion (yes, with a “B”) daily active users in 2020? With nearly a quarter of the world’s population using Facebook’s services each day, the tech conglomerate requires considerable processing power to handle the massive amount of traffic. That’s why Facebook is investing over $750 million (yes, with a “M”) in their upcoming Huntsville Data Center—and could be investing even more. Keep reading to learn more.
Facebook’s Data Center Fleet
Currently, Facebook operates a fleet of 13 data centers throughout the United States—not bad for a company that started out in a dorm room at Harvard University. Of Facebook’s 13 data centers, eight currently serve traffic while the other five are under construction.
- Operational Data Centers
- Prineville, Oregon
- Los Lunas, New Mexico
- Papillion, Nebraska
- Fort Worth, Texas
- Altoona, Iowa
- New Albany, Ohio
- Henrico County, Virginia
- Forest City, North Carolina
- Developing Data Centers
- Eagle Mountain, Utah
- Gallatin, Tennessee
- DeKalb, Illinois
- Newton County, Georgia
- Huntsville, Alabama
Inside a Facebook data center, you’ll find endless rows of computer servers, all linked by fiber-optic cable. Each time you press “Share” on that hilarious cat meme you found, the information flows through those servers to show up on your friends’ feeds.
Facebook Comes to Alabama
In 2018, Facebook announced their plans to invest $750M in Huntsville by constructing a two-building, 970,000 square foot Data Center in the North Huntsville Industrial Park. Once complete, Facebook estimated that the facility would employ over 100 people. Although the COVID-19 pandemic caused several delays, the project is moving along smoothly—in fact, one building is being prepped for server racks while the other is nearing completion.
Huntsville Data Center Plans a Big Expansion
According to the Huntsville City Council, Facebook is planning to expand the already massive Huntsville Data Center by constructing two additional buildings. In November of 2020, Facebook purchased scores of acres of land next to their original plot. In addition, the recent “North Huntsville Economic and Community Development Report” notes that Facebook is planning to invest $1.5 billion (once again, that’s billion with a “B”) into the project, bringing 300 high-tech jobs to the area.
If the rumors ring true, Facebook’s Huntsville Data Center would rank highly among the largest data centers in the United States.
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