Curacao Data Center to Expand Apple’s Global Footprint

Technology giant Apple is currently working to increase support of its global service footprint with a new project in conjunction with Unique Infrastructure Group (UIG) in Curacao.

New Curacao Data Center
Toward the end of August, Dutch media outlets reported that Apple was working on a new data center project with Unique Infrastructure Group on the island of Curacao in the South Caribbean. UIG, which has worked on several initiatives with Apple, is currently constructing a new Curacao data center which will reportedly be utilized by Apple. While details are still emerging at this point, the South Caribbean data center could be leveraged to support Apple’s iCloud and iTunes services.

Although Apple is poised to grow its footprint with the new island facility, the structure wasn’t originally built with the computing giant in mind. Initially, the Curacao data center was constructed for the Ctex project, a government plan to establish a technology hub in the Caribbean similar to Silicon Valley. However, once the building was near completion, the company funding the project went bankrupt. Currently, UIG owns 75 percent of that organization, and has taken up the reins on the Curacao data center project.

Several sources noted that Apple currently utilizes about 20 percent of the computing infrastructure on the South Caribbean island, and the new Curacao data center will only increase its presence in the area. While it is still unclear as to when the data center will open, reports state that the structure is nearing completion and could be ready for launch in the very near future.

Earlier this year, Apple also announced plans for a new Netherlands data center, signaling further expansion of its global service footprint.