Facebook will build first Asia’s data center in Singapore and would invest more than $1 billion. Singapore win for the city-state as other jurisdictions such as China tighten controls over where user data is stored
The social-media giant is facing pressure globally to remove offensive and inflammatory content, a development that has emboldened countries including China, India, and Vietnam to compel technology companies to store user data in the state of origin.
Facebook chose Singapore for several reasons, including the quality of the city-state's infrastructure and workforce, and its business-friendly environment.
The company is joining other tech heavyweights like Google (GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT) in pouring significant sums into network infrastructure in Singapore to power the online services they offer.
To deal with Singapore's high population density, Facebook's (FB) new data center will be 11-stories tall rather than sprawling over a wide area as its ones in the United States and other countries do.
The 170,000-square-meter (1.8-million-square-foot) facility will "support hundreds of jobs" in Singapore, the company said in a statement.
Sources: CNN.com, wsj.com