Microsoft continues to expand its cloud-based online services, and because of those plans it also needs to build more data centers. Late last week, the company received local government approval to build a new $700 million data center in West Des Moines, Iowa.
The Des Moines Register reports that Microsoft will receive $20 million in tax credits from the government to build the new data center. Microsoft will use it to support services such as Office 365 and Xbox Live. The company already owns 40 acres of land in west Des Moines and will likely use that land to build the new data center expansion; Microsoft currently has about 50 people on its payroll at that location.
Microsoft"s campaign for adding more cloud services was evident earlier this month at E3, when the company showed of a live demo of how the cloud could be used by the Xbox One to put in more asteroid paths in a simulated solar system running on the console. Game developers could use the cloud data servers to offload certain game features like AI, physics, large levels and more so that the hardware can be freed up to add better graphics to their Xbox One games.
Source: Des Moines Register | Image via Microsoft