Apple announces $1 billion on a new Austin campus as part of big US expansion

The company said Thursday it will spend $1 billion to build a new campus in Austin, Texas. Apple’s approach comes in marked contrast to Amazon’s recent search for the location of its second headquarters, which over the course of a year saw numerous cities publicly compete to offer the biggest incentives for the e-commerce giant.

A sprawling facility with 6,200 employees that Apple already has in the city, its new 133-acre development is expected to make it the largest private employer in Austin.

Austin campus will be less than a mile from the existing one and its new 133-acre development is expected to make it the largest private employer in Austin.

Apple expects the new campus, with a workforce of 5,000 employees and the capacity to add 15,000 more. Like all Apple’s other facilities worldwide, the facility will run on 100 percent renewable energy.

It will also add hundreds of new jobs to its existing operations in half a dozen US cities, including New York, Boston, Pittsburgh and Portland, “with the potential for additional expansion elsewhere in the US over time.” Apple predicts its Miami office will double in size.

Apple will also invest $10 billion in US data centers over the next five years, with plans to spend $4.5 billion this year and next.

The company says it is on track to meet its US jobs target, after it created 6,000 jobs in 2018. There are now 90,000 Apple employees across the United States.