Seven years later, Apple data center in Iowa finally opens

Begun in 2017, Apple's $1.3 billion data center in Waukee, Iowa, has at last opened — at least partially.

Apple has technically had data centers that took longer to build, but only because protests ultimately led to the abandonment of one in Athenry, Ireland. In the case of Waukee in Dallas County, Iowa, Tim Cook himself gave a speech about it in 2017, saying that he hoped Apple would help the local community.

Seemingly nothing then happened for five years, until 2022, when Iowa authorities reportedly reviewed Apple's plans. Then in August 2024, Apple applied to the city for permission to rehabilitate some of the land it bought, aiming to create a wetland restoration area around the data center.

Now according to the Des Moines Register, Apple's Waukee one data center building is operational. It serves North American users with iMessage, Apple Music, iCloud, and the App Store.

The one building is located on 2,000 acres of land at the intersection of Hickman Road and S Avenue. Under the terms of its deal with the city, Waukee receives $500,000 per annum, per building, and has so far had $1.5 million from this single building.

At various points, Apple has been said to be planning either two data centers, or even up to seven. Each would require separate approvals from the city, and as yet Apple has not applied for further permission.

Reportedly, Waukee offered Apple around $214 million in local and state incentives, back in 2017. Apple then committed $100 million to a public fund to help with infrastructure and community development.

"We're the largest taxpayer in the United States. Not by a little, by a lot," Tim Cook said in 2017. "But the thing I hope that we bring more than tax revenues it's important but I hope we bring something to the community that helps in a broader way."

As well as the public fund, Apple also committed to $4 million toward the development of Triumph Park. A 66-acre recreational site, it was completed in June 2023.

City spokesperson Heather Behrens says that Apple's public fund includes $150,000 per year for public art. Apple has reportedly also said it will contribute $350,000 per year toward a debt repayment program, but that depends on whether residents approve plans at the November 5 election.

While it's not known why Apple's Iowa data center took so long to build, it's possible that it went operational now because Apple Intelligence benefits from servers in such centers.