Facebook has decided to open its new data center in Los Lunas, New Mexico, bringing hundreds of jobs to the state.
Facebook spokesperson Lindsay Amos said Facebook will begin construction in October.
The first phase will be 520,000 square feet for Building One, and Facebook is expected to serve traffic by late 2018, she said.
Amos said that reports on economic impact generated in data centers located in other cities around the country show a positive impact on the economy.
These impacts include generating hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity as well as supporting thousands of jobs in the states the data centers are located in, she said.
“We've also committed to a minimum of 30 full-time jobs and a minimum of $250 million in investment with one building — with future phases to be developed,” Amos said.
In the long term, Facebook generally invests hundreds of millions of dollars in each data center it builds, she said, supporting thousands of construction jobs and dozens of long-term operational jobs in the process.
Facebook also sources labor and materials locally where it can, and finds ways to invest directly in the community, Amos said.
Data centers generate “multiplier spending effects” that benefit workers and business owners in other sections of the local and regional economies, she said. This often leads to a “follow the leader” effect — once one large data center project locates in an area, others follow shortly thereafter and so do their vendors.
Job opportunities are not the only benefit that Facebook will be offering to New Mexico overall, Amos said.
The data center will provide the construction of new renewable energy resources throughout New Mexico, she said.
These new renewable energy facilities will bring additional tax revenues to New Mexico, along with additional economic development during construction and ongoing benefits from the permanent jobs and maintenance of new solar and wind farms, Amos said.
“Facebook's data centers are among the most advanced, energy-efficient facilities in the world, and Los Lunas will be the latest evolution of our designs,” she said.
The facility will feature the latest in hyper-efficient OCP hardware. It will be cooled using indirect evaporative cooling systems, which emphasize efficiency while maintaining optimal indoor air quality conditions. It will also be powered by 100 percent renewable energy, thanks to the new solar and wind energy the company will bring to the New Mexico grid as part of this deal, she said.
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Facebook has entered into a long-term arrangement with PNM Resources to support new solar energy projects that will supply an initial 30 megawatts of clean and renewable energy to the Los Lunas Data Center — and additional wind and solar energy that Facebook will secure in the future, Amos said.
“Our deal in Los Lunas brings us closer to our goal. We will continue to work with 60 other companies to develop and promote the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance, which we hope will make it easier for companies of all kinds to consume clean and renewable energy in the U.S.,” she said.
While internships at the data centers for UNM Valencia and Main Campus students are not currently being offered, there will be positions available through Facebook's university internship program in the future, Amos said.
“We encourage UNM students to look into it at facebook.com/careers/university. We will have full-time positions available in 2018, and invite students to visit facebook.com/careers to look at the types of jobs Facebook offers at its data centers and locations around the world,” she said.
Facebook will have positions available at the new center in 2018, ranging from data center technicians, operations and network engineers, and connectivity site managers to electricians and more, Amos said.
Other contract companies include security services, groundskeeping, maintenance, culinary arts and more, she said.
Facebook is thrilled to have found a home in New Mexico, Amos said.
“We are excited to invest in this project and in this community, and we will find other ways to help the Village of Los Lunas, Valencia County and the State of New Mexico continue to thrive. After all, we won't just work here — we'll live here, too,” she said.
UNM Valencia Campus student Brandi Quintana, a physical education major, had mixed thoughts on Facebook making a home for its data center in Los Lunas.
“I think overall it’s going to be bad for the company coming to a small New Mexico town. But it may help the town in jobs and help kids stay off the streets,” Quintana said.
On the other hand, Valencia Campus student Lisa Norcross had a more positive outlook on the data center’s arrival in Los Lunas, as well as the potential opportunities students have with internships through Facebook.
“I think it's really neat that they are giving students this opportunity, and I think that they will help these students get a good job and understand what it takes to be in the real world,” Norcross said.
Amos said Facebook is committed to being community partners and contributors to the region's economic progress and long-term success, and the company plans to implement an annual community grant program.
Such programs would support projects that put the power of technology to use for community benefit, help improve education at all levels, encourage the community to participate in local activities and bring diverse new opportunities to the area, she said.
“This new data center will be part of the highly advanced infrastructure that helps bring Facebook apps and services to you every day,” Amos said. “These buildings and the hardware inside them help people stay connected with friends and family, discover what’s going on in the world, and share and express what matters to them.”
Nichole Harwood is a news reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Nolidoli1.
