Facebook only has two data centers located outside of the US, one in Lulea, Sweden and the other in Clonee, Ireland. However, an announcement today will see that total increase to three locations, as Facebook is building a data center in Odense, Denmark.
According to The Local, Facebook intends to build a 55,000 square meter facility on the outskirts of Odense. Construction on the site will bring around 2,000 jobs to the area. Once built, the facility will require a minimum of 150 permanent employees.
Niall McEntegart, Facebook's director of data, said that the data center will be of great importance for handling "the richer content" hosted by the social network. More specifically, a growing library of live video feeds and 360-degree photos. He also stated that, Facebook will pump "hundreds of millions of dollars" into the project and therefore the Danish economy.
The announcement was made at a joint press conference attended by Niall McEntegart and Odense Mayor Peter Rahbaek, which Facebook streamed live.
There were no details about when we can expect to see the new data center come online, but the Danish Foreign Minister confirmed it had taken three years to get to this point. With the project approved and announced publicly, things should move along much more swiftly now.
As well as new jobs, land redevelopment, and the long-term commitment that goes hand-in-hand with running a data center, the residents of Odense can rest easy about any concerns regarding potential pollution. Facebook is going to power the data center using only "clean and renewable energy." That should come as no surprise considering Denmark is a world leader in wind energy.