Apple is messing with Texas, in a good way. Today, the State of Texas is announcing that Apple plans to expand their campus in Austin with a $304 million investment in a new campus. This will reportedly generate over 3,600 news jobs in the state. The Office of Governor Rick Perry says that over the course of the next decade, this new campus will double Apple’s presence in the Lone Star state.
“Apple is known for its bold innovation and game-changing designs, and the expansion of their Austin facility adds to the growing list of visionary high-tech companies that have found that Texas’ economic climate is a perfect fit for their future, thanks to our low taxes, reasonable and predictable regulations, fair legal system and skilled workforce” Gov. Perry said. “Investments like this further Texas’ potential to become the nation’s next high-tech hub.”
The last time that Apple’s Austin campus got a big upgrade was back in 2007, when it was expanded by 80,000 square feet with the addition of building two on Riata Vista Circle.
This particular extension of Apple mainly deals with administrative stuff and customer support and such, but also “houses some engineering functions primarily related to chip design,” according to Macrumors.
Apple and Texas: @GovernorPerryAnnounces Apple to Create 3,600 New Jobs in Austin governor.state.tx.us/news/press-rel… twitter.com/TexGov/status/…
— Office of Gov Perry (@TexGov) March 9, 2012
Apple was incentivized by a $21 million investment over the next 10 years from the Texas Enterprise Fund, which was created in 2003 to “ensure the growth of Texas businesses and create more jobs throughout the state.”
Remember, Austin isn’t the only place that Apple is expanding. A 3.1 million square foot “mothership” campus in Cupertino is also in the works.
[Image Credit: The Pug Father, Flickr]