I spotted the "secret Google facility" headline on Valleywag and followed the story to WebProNews and the Charleston Post & Courier.
Last week Google "Maguro Enterprises, a newly formed entity," completed a $17 million acquisition of 520 acres of land near the South Carolina coast. The documents were notarized near Google's HQ. Back in October local officials had signed off on tax incentives for "Project X" and "Project Y", which have now been renamed under "Pyrite LLC". The grounds are already being cleared for a "very high tech" development that "needs to be near lots of electricity and water".
Google declined to comment on the Maguro/Pyrite deal, but confirmed that it is "looking at the Goose Creek area", where the site is located. Berkeley County Supervisor Jim Rozier and Goose Creek Administrator Dennis Harmon are excited about Pyrite's plans to "make a $750 million investment and employ at least 400 workers earning an average of $90,000 a year".
These rumors follow Rich Miller's recent reports on Google's 1 million square foot facility on NASA's campus, and Microsoft's possible plans for a $980 million, 470,000 square foot data center near San Antonio.
A Berkeley County rep confirmed that 1) Pyrite and Maguro have the same parent company; 2) Maguro is a land development company; 3) the site purchased by Maguro at Mt. Holly is for some sort of plant; 4) Pyrite is looking at another 500 acres at a joint county industrial park; 5) and the manager of Maguro is Jason A. Wheeler.
Anyone dig up anything else?
How is the water access?
Is there a lot of agricutlure?
Could you post a google map link of the area?
Thanks!
Great summary from Data Center Knowledge
http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2007/J...
Article on Blythewood project
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/16484109.htm
Article on Goose Creek project
http://charlestondigitalcorridor.com/?page=36&...
Speculations by PBS columnist Robert Cringley on what Google is up to:
http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/2007/pulpit_200...
IMHO, I really think part of the reason they have bought so much land is because they are getting ready to start a biofuel program.
They have been hinting around about green energy, but now I think they are going to start planting some Miscanthus and use ethanol to power their server "farm".
It is already farmland.
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&sll=... this space!</a>