Microsoft has just announced the construction of a $500M data center in Northlake, Illinois. The site is located about 14 miles from downtown Chicago, and plans to be completed around the middle of next year.
The construction of the building is expected to employ upwards of 500 people, the center itself is only expected to employ 75 people after completion. Microsoft will use this location in order to be more competetive with Google and Yahoo. The Chicago site was based on the availability of electricity and fiber optic connectivity. The location was also selected because of it’s climate, they will capture cool air in order to cool the massive internet servers that it will be housing.
