Apple Prepares Planning Permission For Irish Data Centre

Apple’s proposed data centre in Galway, Ireland will get a step closer to completion next week as the company readies its planning application with Galway County Council, reports the Connacht Tribune.

The Irish newspaper said that the planning application is for a 500-acre site that includes a single storey data centre building that will be 263,000ft², along with a single-storey “logistics and administration building” which will cover 56,000ft². The site looks to be operational by 2017, creating about 300 jobs.

European expansion

The Irish data centre is one of two new data centres Apple is planning to build in Europe. Another “state of the art facility” is set to be built in Viborg, Denmark. The data centres are designed to store European users’ data and to power its online services, such as the App Store, iCloud, Siri and iMessage across Europe. Apple is spending £1.25 billion on the builds.

In February, Apple said it will work with local partners to develop new types of renewable energy to provide power in the future for its facilities.

“We believe that innovation is about leaving the world better than we found it, and that the time for tackling climate change is now,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environmental Initiatives.

“We’re excited to spur green industry growth in Ireland and Denmark and develop energy systems that take advantage of their strong wind resources. Our commitment to environmental responsibility is good for the planet, good for our business and good for the European economy.”

The company will hope the use of local data centres for the European market will improve the quality of service and reassure companies about where their information is located by allowing them to take advantage of data sovereignty laws.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said: “We are grateful for Apple’s continued success in Europe and proud that our investment supports communities across the continent.

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