Microsoft Expanding In Mecklenburg County, VA For Fourth Time

MSFT_logo_pngMicrosoft Corp. will invest $402.4 million to expand its data center site in Mecklenburg County, VA 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 42 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. In June 2014 Microsoft invested another $346.7 million, creating 90 new jobs.

“The demand for cloud services continues to grow worldwide,” said Christian Belady, General Manager, Datacenter Strategy Planning & Development, Cloud Infrastructure and Operations at Microsoft. “Together with The Commonwealth of Virginia and the County of Mecklenburg, we’re continuing our focus to meet these customer needs by expanding capacity for our reliable, scalable, security-enhanced cloud services.”

microsoft-mecklenburg-county-virginiaThe Virginia Economic Development Partnership worked with Mecklenburg County to secure the project for Virginia. Governor Terry McAuliffe approved a $700,000 grant from the Commonwealth’s Opportunity Fund to assist Mecklenburg County with the project. The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission approved $1.34 million in Tobacco Region Opportunity Funds for the project.

“Microsoft Corp. is a valued corporate partner that continues to heavily invest in Virginia,” said Gov. McAuliffe. “The company’s fourth expansion project represents more than $1.74 billion in total capital investment since 2010, bringing more than 200 jobs to citizens in Southern Virginia. Microsoft’s tremendous growth trajectory is a testament to the commonwealth’s superior infrastructure and the success of our burgeoning data center industry, playing a key role in our efforts to build a new Virginia economy.”

“Mecklenburg County is again very pleased to be a part of another expansion for Microsoft,” said Glenn Barbour, Chairman of the Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisors. “Our County Administrator, Wayne Carter, has worked closely with Microsoft and our state and local partners to offer all the assistance available to continue Microsoft’s growth here in Mecklenburg County. This expansion creates additional job opportunities for our citizens and greatly expands our economic base.”