SAS Plans $70M North Carolina Facility

Business analytics software maker SAS will invest $70 million in a new data center in Cary, North Carolina, the company said this week. The new facility will support the growth of the company's SAS OnDemand cloud computing service, and be designed to qualify for certification as a green data center through the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) progam from the U.S. Green Buildings Council.

"This project is proof that, despite the down economy, SAS continues to grow and innovate," said Jim Goodnight, CEO of SAS. "The growing demand by our customers for hosted solutions has given us this opportunity to invest even further in North Carolina and the Cary community."

The 38,000 square foot facility will include two 10,000 square foot data centers. Server Farm 1 is expected to be operational by  mid-2010 and support growth for three to five years. Server Farm 2 will be constructed as a shell and will be built out once Server Farm 1 reaches 80 percent capacity.

“We are excited that SAS chose to build its new cloud computing facility in Cary,” said Ken Atkins, executive director for Wake County Economic Development. “SAS is a great corporate citizen and we appreciate its continued investment in Wake County.”

Cary is the site of SAS' headquarters, and gome to more than 1,400 employees. In keeping with LEED standards, about 60 percent of the project’s construction and equipment spending will be in North Carolina.