Apple reportedly expanding global data center presence with new facility in Curacao

Posted:
in General Discussion edited August 2014
Apple's latest data center project may be on the small southern Caribbean island of Curacao, as local media suggests the iCloud operator may be taking over a facility where construction is nearly complete.




A Dutch news report spotted by AmongTech claims that the Unique Infrastructure Group is building a new data center on Curacao for Apple. According to the report, the facility is already almost completed, but the original company behind it went bankrupt and was taken over by UIG.

UIG is now said to be completing work on the facility, which will reportedly be used by Apple. While it's unknown what Apple would use the facility for, the company's iCloud and iTunes digital operations are likely candidates.

After building major data center operations in the U.S, including massive facilities on both the east and west coast, Apple now appears to be expanding its operations internationally. Earlier this year, it was said that the company was planning a new data center in the Netherlands to better serve customers in Europe.

Apple Maiden NC Data Center


Racks of Apple's iCloud servers in Maiden, NC


And this week, Apple confirmed that it has begun storing iCloud user data in data centers owned by China Telecom. Given the fact that China Telecom is owned by the Chinese government, which itself is notoriously invasive, Apple spoke out on the partnership to ensure that the data on the servers is secure.

"Apple takes user security and privacy very seriously," the company said in a statement. "We have added China Telecom to our list of data center providers to increase bandwidth and improve performance for our customers in mainland China. All data stored with our providers is encrypted, China Telecom does not have access to the content."
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 40

    Seeing as this island resides in the Caribbean and with prior knowledge that some locations therein are utilized by companies to lower their taxes, this is OBVIOUSLY a tax dodge–my use of the phrase meaning to imply that Apple is breaking 500 laws and refusing to pay any money in taxes whatsoever–so therefore I am outraged and will petition to have the company sued for whatever reason would be applicable.

     

    There, that’s out of the way.

  • Reply 2 of 40
    red oakred oak Posts: 1,087member
    Odd place for a datacenter

    Even odder if significant bandwidth is going through Venezuela or Columbia
  • Reply 3 of 40
    Now that the psycho Joren Vandersloot was voted off the island, all is safe for Apple female employees there.
  • Reply 4 of 40
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Red Oak View Post



    Odd place for a datacenter



    Even odder if significant bandwidth is going through Venezuela or Columbia

    Yeah, I wonder why they didn't put it in Panama which is connected with many more network infrastructure providers and a much friendlier government.

     

    http://submarine-cable-map-2014.telegeography.com/

  • Reply 5 of 40
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Red Oak View Post



    Odd place for a datacenter



    Even odder if significant bandwidth is going through Venezuela or Columbia

     

    Aren't continents just really, really, really big islands?

  • Reply 6 of 40
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    What's the benefit to having a data center here? Just tax benefit?
  • Reply 7 of 40
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post

     
    Aren't continents just really, really, really big islands?


    Asia is a continent and so is Europe. They are connected so they can't both be islands. If not for the Suez and Panama canals the same would be true of North and South America as well as Asia and Africa.

  • Reply 8 of 40
    It would be a nice place to vacation. All of that wonderful air conditioning.
  • Reply 9 of 40
    malaxmalax Posts: 1,598member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post

     

    Asia is a continent and so is Europe. They are connected so they can't both be islands. If not for the Suez and Panama canals the same would be true of North and South America as well as Asia and Africa.


    The presence or absence of a canal (i.e., a large man-made ditch) doesn't determine continental connectedness (any more than a bridge would).

  • Reply 10 of 40
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    rogifan wrote: »
    What's the benefit to having a data center here? Just tax benefit?

    No ... this ... :D

    700
  • Reply 11 of 40
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by malax View Post

     
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post

     

    Asia is a continent and so is Europe. They are connected so they can't both be islands. If not for the Suez and Panama canals the same would be true of North and South America as well as Asia and Africa.


    The presence or absence of a canal (i.e., a large man-made ditch) doesn't determine continental connectedness (any more than a bridge would).


    No disagreement from me, just a disclaimer.

  • Reply 12 of 40
    It's only a "tax haven" if you your company (or subsidiary) is incorporated there.
  • Reply 13 of 40
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Somebody has to support all those vacationers in the Carribean! Which reminds mei need to find a way down there this winter.
  • Reply 14 of 40
    jakebjakeb Posts: 562member
    It's not crazy, Curacao is one of the most stable countries in the area, with a high standard of living. It's not easy to find South or Central American countries that don't have some degree of political or social or economic instability.
  • Reply 15 of 40
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,033member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TechLover View Post



    It would be a nice place to vacation. All of that wonderful air conditioning.

    The ABCs are a bit hard to get to (or at least the airline flights aren't convenient/cheap). It might be worth it if you really like to windsurf or scuba dive, otherwise Mexico would be a more reasonable vacation destination for North Americans.

     

    Disclaimer: I've been to Bonaire and I am a PADI certified diver.

     

    If you just want air conditioning, can't you just go to the movie theater in the nearest mall or your town's library?

  • Reply 16 of 40
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    I know nothing of their stability as a nation or tax laws but just looking at their submarine network cable map it's definitely not a bad place for a DC.

    [LIST]
    [*] http://www.submarinecablemap.com/#/landing-point/balboa-panama
    [/LIST]

    [IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/47173/width/350/height/700[/IMG]



    PS: I've never been to Curacao. I'll have to check that off my list at some time.
  • Reply 17 of 40
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post



    I know nothing of their stability as a nation or tax laws but just looking at their submarine network cable map it's definitely not a bad place for a DC.

     


    I still think Panama is better for several reasons. Check out this historical hurricane map. As you can see we never get hurricanes,

     

  • Reply 18 of 40
    kibitzerkibitzer Posts: 1,114member
    Now that the psycho Joren Vandersloot was voted off the island, all is safe for Apple female employees there.

    Wrong island. Van der Sloot was never successfully prosecuted for the alleged murder of Natalie Holloway on Aruba, a 70-mile swim from Curaçao. He now sits in a Peruvian maximum security prison for the murder of a young woman in Lima.
  • Reply 19 of 40
    kibitzerkibitzer Posts: 1,114member
    mpantone wrote: »
    The ABCs are a bit hard to get to (or at least the airline flights aren't convenient/cheap). It might be worth it if you really like to windsurf or scuba dive, otherwise Mexico would be a more reasonable vacation destination for North Americans.

    Starting Nov. 2, Southwest will fly round-trip from Chicago Midway through Orlando for as low as $525. Aruba is just as easy to reach as San Juan or the USVI, Saint Martin and other popular Caribbean islands.

    Busiest US routes from Aruba (2009–2010)[citation needed]
    Rank Airport Passengers Carriers
    1
    New York (JFK), New York
    237,498
    American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue
    2
    Miami, Florida
    209,364
    American Airlines
    3
    Newark, New Jersey
    145,448
    United Airlines
    4
    Atlanta, Georgia
    139,547
    AirTran, Delta Air Lines
    5
    Charlotte, North Carolina
    120,362
    US Airways
    6
    Boston, MA
    113,910
    JetBlue, US Airways
    7
    Philadelphia, PA
    67,993
    US Airways
    8
    Washington (Dulles), VA
    27,477
    United Airlines
    9
    Chicago (O'Hare), Illinois
    18,362
    United Airlines
    10
    Houston, TX (Bush)
    15,727
    United Airlines
  • Reply 20 of 40
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Kibitzer View Post

     
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mpantone View Post



    The ABCs are a bit hard to get to (or at least the airline flights aren't convenient/cheap). It might be worth it if you really like to windsurf or scuba dive, otherwise Mexico would be a more reasonable vacation destination for North Americans.




    Starting Nov. 2, Southwest will fly round-trip from Chicago Midway through Orlando for as low as $525. Aruba is just as easy to reach as San Juan or the USVI, Saint Martin and other popular Caribbean islands.

     

    Fine except Aruba is a different island.

     

     

    American Airlines has flights to Curacao from the US for $545 from Miami.

     

    Copa and Insel also fly there from Miami according to Expedia.

     


    Jet Blue starting in December
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