Facebook Is Building A Data Center In Eagle Mountain, UT

Five years ago, if you told me Facebook would build a data center in Eagle Mountain I would have laughed in your face and slapped both your cheeks. And now you would be searching for me to return both the slaps and laughter, because the Facebook/Eagle Mountain prophecy has indeed come true: Facebook is building a data center in Eagle Mountain, UT.

Rachel Peterson, VP of Data Center Strategy at Facebook:

“After a thorough search, we selected Eagle Mountain for a number of reasons—it provides good access to renewable energy, a strong talent pool, and a great set of partners. We are excited to make Utah our new home and look forward to a long and successful partnership with the state, the city of Eagle Mountain, and our new community.”

This has kind of been the world's worst kept secret, with negotiations between Utah County and a "mystery data center" unfolding over the past few months. And we all know "mystery data center" is synonymous with Facebook, so just add 2+2 and we arrive at Eagle Mountain getting a Facebook data center. Simple math.

Okay, so a few of the details. The center will be a 970,000 square foot facility at Sweetwater Industrial Park. It's estimated that Facebook will be investing $750 million the area, including $100 million in infrastructure. Through an arrangement with GOED (Governor's Office of Economic Development), Facebook will qualify for $150 million in tax breaks for Phase 1 of the project, which is expected to take 18 months and produce two new Eagle Mountain facilities.

Gary Herbert, Governor of Utah:

“The state of Utah will benefit from the tremendous opportunity of welcoming Facebook to Eagle Mountain and Utah County. This deal has been brought to fruition through cooperation and hard work across multiple agencies and stakeholders, setting an example for the rest of the nation in how to create a win-win economic benefit for our state both now and in the future.”