RALEIGH, N.C. — Apple plans to open its first East Coast campus in Wake County, the company announced Monday, adding 3,000 new jobs and investing more than $1 billion in the Research Triangle area.
The new North Carolina campus is part of a big expansion for the tech company, which is already building a new campus in Austin, Texas and plans to start hiring there next year, the company said.
“At this moment of recovery and rebuilding, Apple is doubling down on our commitment to U.S. innovation and manufacturing with a generational investment reaching communities across all 50 states,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement Monday.
“We’re creating jobs in cutting-edge fields — from 5G to silicon engineering to artificial intelligence — investing in the next generation of innovative new businesses, and in all our work, building toward a greener and more equitable future,” he said.
State leaders are celebrating the announcement.
“Innovation has long been North Carolina’s calling card and Apple’s decision to build this new campus in the Research Triangle showcases the importance of our state’s favorable business climate, world-class universities, our tech-ready workforce, and the welcoming and diverse communities that make so many people want to call North Carolina home," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said in a separate news release Monday.
"This announcement will benefit communities across our state and we are proud to work together to continue to grow our economy and bring transformational industries and good paying jobs to North Carolina,” Cooper said.
Apple said the new North Carolina campus "will create at least 3,000 new jobs in machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and other cutting-edge fields."
The company said it will also create a new $100 million fund for schools and community initiatives in the Triangle and around North Carolina. Apple said it will give $110 million for "infrastructure spending to the 80 North Carolina counties with the greatest need — funds that will go toward broadband, roads and bridges, and public schools. When up and running, Apple’s investments are expected to generate over $1.5 billion in economic benefits annually for North Carolina."
In Monday's announcement, the company said it planned to invest $430 billion in the United States over the next five years, including the new campus and jobs in North Carolina.