Yahoo to Double the Size of the Quincy Data Center

Yahoo! Inc. announced Monday morning that it is expanding its data center in Quincy, with the expansion to add about 300,000 square feet to its existing center.

The expansion will effectively double the size of Yahoo’s Quincy facility, and the expanded center will house thousands of new servers, according to a release from the company.

Yahoo’s expansion will also create additional jobs, according to the release. The Yahoo team in Quincy currently numbers about 50 people and the new positions are expected to be added over the next year.

Yahoo expects to open its expanded data center in summer 2016.

“As our user base grows, we’re focused on continuing to deliver the most innovative, fast, and reliable products and service to our users,” Mike Coleman, Yahoo’s senior director of data center services, said in Monday’s press release. “By expanding our Quincy data center, we’ll double down on our ability to deliver for our users.”

Yahoo’s Quincy data center first opened in 2007 and is one of the company’s three owned and operated data centers in the country. The facility serves “hundreds of millions of users across our country and around the world,” according to the release.

Coleman said Yahoo’s decision to expand its Quincy data center is a “direct result of the unbeatable mix Quincy offers,” referring to the reliable and low-cost renewable energy, and the tax exemptions for data centers that was renewed by the state legislature earlier this year.

“Yahoo’s decision to expand their data center in Quincy will create additional good-paying technology jobs in eastern Washington, not just Seattle,” Quincy Mayor Jim Hemberry said. “Our community fought for the tools to win the jobs created by new data centers. Yahoo’s decision proves the fight was worthwhile.”

Quincy School District Superintendent John Boyd cited the partnership between the school district and Yahoo as a great benefit to Quincy students.

“Yahoo has been a terrific partner for the Quincy School District and we are excited about the news of their expansion within our school district boundaries,” Boyd said. “Yahoo’s expansion will ensure that substantial property taxes paid by their new data center will be available to support our effort to create innovative learning opportunities for our students. The increased Yahoo presence will also allow us to continue our partnership to provide our students more opportunities to learn skills related to the data center industry.”

Senate Majority Leader Mark Schoesler said Yahoo’s expansion is “exactly what our Senate majority had in mind when we led the drive to renew tax incentives for data centers.”

“It is timely proof of how good tax policies can help our state compete for good jobs,” Schoesler said. “Washington’s economic recovery has been more evident in the greater Seattle area, so I’m especially pleased that central Washington will reap the benefits of this major new investment. This is a reminder that when government is mindful of the needs of employers, our state can be a great place to do business.”

With Yahoo’s announcement Monday, the company’s expansion will mark the third data center expansion in Quincy this year. Sabey Data Centers broke ground on its second data center in Quincy in March, and Microsoft is in the midst of an expansion project at its Quincy facility.

Quincy is home to six different data center facilities, including Yahoo, Microsoft, Dell, Intuit, Sabey Corporation and Vantage.

Source: http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/business/yahoo-to-double-size-of-quincy-data-center/article_40dde488-6c76-11e5-baec-2fade205c62d.html