Artist rendering of the Huntsville data center
HUNTSVILLE – Gov. Kay Ivey announced on Thursday that Facebook will invest $750 million to build a data center in Huntsville, creating 100 high-paying jobs. Ivey was joined for the announcement by Facebook representatives and local leaders.
The official announcement was made Thursday afternoon during a ceremony at the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber.
“Every day, millions of people around the world use Facebook’s products, and this new Alabama data center will soon play a role in keeping the company’s popular platforms running flawlessly,” Ivey said. “Facebook has found a great location in Sweet Home Alabama, and we’ll do our best to help the company grow and prosper here.”
Once construction is complete, the Huntsville data center will employ approximately 100 people with an average annual salary of $80,000.
“We are excited to be joining the Huntsville community. As one of the fastest growing tech hubs in the country, we knew it would be a great location for our newest data center,” said Matt VanderZanden, director of site selection at Facebook. “We are committed to having a positive impact at the local level and look forward to a strong partnership with the Huntsville community.”
Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said Facebook is a great addition to the state’s growing roster of high-tech companies.
“Facebook’s decision to locate its new, state-of-the-art data center in Huntsville reflects Alabama’s attractiveness to technology companies, and marks another important chapter in the growth story of our tech sector,” Secretary Canfield said.
“Facebook is a world-class company, and we look forward to building a lasting partnership that sets the stage for even more growth.”
To facilitate the project, Facebook will receive an investment credit under the Alabama Jobs Act with an estimated value of $86.25 million, over 10 years. Total new revenue over thirty years from the Data Center is estimated to be $297.3 million that will be divided between the state, county and city.
The company said it chose Alabama and the Huntsville area because of quality of life, a pro-business environment, and a talented and available workforce.
The Huntsville City Council gave unanimous approval on May 24 for Facebook’s project entity, Starbelt LLC, to purchase 340 acres at $8.5 million in North Huntsville Industrial Park.
"Huntsville’s Gig City strategy to sustain our position as a leader in the knowledge economy has brought us a company that knows something about creating connections,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. “Facebook has built its business on connecting friends to family, businesses to customers, and people to the world. Huntsville is proud to be the center of these connections with the construction of this data center.”
Madison County Commission Chairman Dale W. Strong said the north Alabama county continues to excel in job creation and in the diversification of its workforce.
“Today’s partnership with Facebook and their leadership once again shows our community is perfectly positioned for today’s high-tech market. While our mission here in North Alabama has never been clearer, I feel we are setting conditions for greater success for generations to come.”
“The Huntsville metro is being recognized internationally as a smart place to do business,” said Lucia Cape, the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber’s senior vice president of economic development. “Today's announcement of a Facebook data center in North Huntsville is possible because our community has invested in the infrastructure, focused on quality of life, and made economic diversity a priority.”
Facebook has established a new page for this project: Facebook.com/HuntsvilleDataCenter. Please ‘Like’ the page for updates specific to the Huntsville data center, including job postings, information on how to join in the construction process, and more.
