Facebook to Build $750 million Data Center in Huntsville
State and city leaders announced Facebook’s plans to build a $750 million data center in Huntsville. Gov. Kay Ivey discussed the project during a news conference Thursday in Huntsville. Ivey’s office said the center will employ 100 people with an average annual salary of nearly $80,000.
Ivey said she was pleased that a “forward-thinking, major company like Facebook” was putting down roots in the state.
Facebook created a page about the project. The social media giant said the 970,000-square-foot data center will begin operations in 2020.
Matt VanderZanden, director of site selection at Facebook, said the Huntsville site was attractive because of a strong talent pool and availability of clean and renewable energy.
The company projected the data center will have a strong economic impact on the area. “We are proud to say a recent study found that for every 1 million dollars in operating expenses at our data centers, there are 13 jobs supported in the economy,” a company statement said. “And for every 1 million dollars in capital expenditures, there are more than 14 jobs supported in the economy.”
The project has been under development for the last year under the codename “Starbelt.” The Huntsville City Council last month unanimously approved Facebook’s purchase of the site for $8.5 million.
A fire at a popular nightclub in India’s Goa state kills at least 25, officials say
At least 25 people, including tourists, were killed in a fire at a popular nightclub in India's Goa state, the state's chief minister said Sunday.
National parks fee-free calendar drops MLK Day, Juneteenth and adds Trump’s birthday
The Trump administration, which has railed against what it describes as "woke" policies, removed MLK Day and Juneteenth from next year's list of fare-exempt days for visitors at dozens of national parks.
Waymo will recall software after its self-driving cars passed stopped school buses
Waymo is issuing a software recall for its self-driving cars after reports the company's autonomous vehicles failed to stop for school buses.
7 deaths and hundreds of injuries are linked to faulty Abbott glucose monitors
About 3 million glucose monitoring sensors were potentially affected by a production error that caused incorrect low glucose readings.
‘The Abandons’ is a sudsy soap opera dressed up in spurs and a cowboy hat
On the surface it's a gorgeous, hardscrabble Western, awash in stark landscapes, grubby faces, bar fights and banditry. But scratch away the grime, and you expose the pure, glitzy soap opera beneath.
Sudanese paramilitary drone attack kills 50, including 33 children, doctor group says
Thursday's attack is the latest in the fighting between the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, also known as the RSF, and the Sudanese military, who have been at war for over two years.
