Apple reveals new NC data center, $5B investment, meanwhile, RTP campus still on pause
By Elaina Athans for WTVD Channel 11
Apple announced Monday that a data center in the Charlotte area is part of a new $500 billion investment plan.
Meanwhile, plans on Apple’s one billion East Coast hub along Little Drive in RTP are stalled.
The company hit the pause button in June.
ABC11 reached out to the tech company and the Governor’s Office inquiring when this project might move forward.
The center is expected to create at least 2,700 jobs.
According to UNC Kenan Institute’s American Growth Project, the Triangle is expected to be the fourth fastest-growing extended metro area in the country this year and Charlotte came in eleventh.
UNC Economist Gerald Cohen says there’s a mixed bag in RTP right now.
There’s some excitement about what’s potentially on the horizon but also worry over policies stripping away federal funds.
“I think this is a good example of how you have to be careful about just announcements,” said Cohen. “Our kind of a tech-based, biotech-based economy, is, is one that’s engineered for generally fast growth. It’s also engineered based on support for research and so that’s a concern.”
The Greater Raleigh Chamber has issued a statement that says they’re “excited that Apple has already made significant hires locally, and that they will be continuing these investments both here and across the country.”
Apple, facing tariffs on Chinese imports, says it will invest $500 billion in US facilities
By Chris Isidore and Clare Duffy for CNN as appearing on WTVD Channel 11
Apple said Monday it will invest $500 billion on expanding US facilities over the next four years, a move that could help it avoid new tariffs on goods imported from China.
Apple said the investment will create 20,000 jobs.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump announced tariffs of 10% on all imports from China, from which Apple imports many products, including most of its iPhones. Trump signaled Friday that Apple was planning to make this investment following a meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook on Thursday. Trump attributed the investment to his tariffs.
“He’s investing hundreds of billions of dollars, I hope he’s announced it,” Trump said. “That’s what he told me … But he’s investing hundreds of billions of dollars. And others, too, a lot of chip makers coming in, a lot of automakers coming in.”
However Apple invested in growing its supply chain outside of China in recent years, partly in response to the problems with production China during the pandemic. Those investments include building a production facility for Mac Pro computers in Texas.
TSMC, which makes chips for Apple, is also set to open a chipmaking plant in Arizona, helped by $6.6 billion in support from a bipartisan bill passed during the Biden administration to encourage investment in US chip manufacturing. However, Apple has mostly expanded production in places like India and Vietnam.
“We are bullish on the future of American innovation, and we’re proud to build on our long-standing US investments with this $500 billion commitment to our country’s future,” said Cook in a statement from the company.
Trump thanked Cook and Apple for the announcement in an all-caps post on Truth Social early Monday, in which he took credit for the decision.
“The reason, faith in what we are doing, without witch (sic), they wouldn’t be investing ten cents,” he said.
Apple doesn’t do much of its own manufacturing, using contractors instead. It said it will work with thousands of manufacturing partners spread across all 50 states to produce more products in US facilities.
It said part of the investment it will create an academy in Detroit to train small- and medium-sized businesses on implementing AI and smart manufacturing techniques.
It said its partners will begin production of servers in Houston later this year that it said will that support Apple Intelligence, the company’s brand of artificial intelligence products. Apple said the 250,000-square-foot server manufacturing facility, slated to open in 2026, will create thousands of jobs. It said the servers, previously manufactured outside of the United States, are a core to its artificial intelligence efforts.
“The servers bring together years of R&D by Apple engineers,” it said in its statement.
Not all the $500 billion will go into production of computer hardware. It said it is expanding data center capacity in North Carolina, Iowa, Oregon, Arizona, and Nevada. It also includes plans to invest in corporate facilities and production of Apple TV+ shows in 20 states.
The preceding articles originally appeared on February 24, 2025 at WTVD Channel 11‘s website and are made available here for educational purposes only. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 106A-117 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Any views or opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Carolina Leadership Coalition.
