Report: UIG Building Apple Data Center in Curaçao

A Dutch media outlet is reporting a data center in Curaçao might soon house Apple infrastructure. Unique Infrastructure Group, a company that has worked extensively with Apple, is completing a new data center on the Dutch island in the South Caribbean. An Among Tech report discovered the facility may be used by the Apple.

The data center was near completion when the company that was originally behind it went bankrupt. UIG has taken over more than 75 percent of that company and will most likely complete the facility for Apple, according to media reports. UIG has also worked with Facebook and Google in the past.

The future Apple data center, reportedly, was originally built as part of the Ctex project, a Curaçao government initiative to create a Silicon Valley's equivalent in the Caribbean region.

Curaçao is a polyglot island, most natives speaking Dutch, English and the indigenous Papiamentu. It is connected by about six major submarine cables and has strict policies regarding client data confidentiality.

The island is located outside of the traditional hurricane belt and has acted as a vital trade hub. It is well positioned to become a key internet infrastructure player in the Caribbean thanks to favorable data policies and favorable tax structure.

The country has special tax legislation for international companies that qualify for establishment in “E-Zone” areas. This includes payment of only two percent profit tax, no import duties or sales tax and expatriate entitlement for employees, including a special income tax regime.

Apple has data centers in Prineville, Oregon, Maiden, North Carolina, Newark, California, and in Reno, Nevada (a new site currently running at low capacity). UIG was the developer behind Reno Technology Park, a large property with access to power transmission that is home to Apple's data center there.

It also uses colocation providers sparingly but says that most of its workload is served out of its own facilities. It was revealed last week that the company is using China Telecom to store iCloud data. Apple continues to expand both its data centers and renewable energy production in North America, and appears to be focusing on an international push as well.