Microsoft Pumps $700 Million Into Iowa Data Center

The mysterious company behind the $700 million “Project Mountain” data center in Des Moines, Iowa, finally has a name. And it’s not Apple or Amazon.

It’s Microsoft.

Late on Friday, the Iowa Economic Development Authority Board approved $20 million in tax-credit incentives for Microsoft, which plans to pump hundreds of millions of dollars into a data center in West Des Moines.

According to state documents, Microsoft’s investment will total $677.6 million, and will likely be used to expand the company’s existing data center in the region. The goal, according to Christian Belady, Microsoft’s GM of Data Center Services: “Supporting the growing demand for Microsoft’s cloud services.”

Microsoft is the latest tech behemoth to choose Iowa as the site of its data-center ambitions. Earlier this year, Facebook announced plans to build a $300 million server farm in the state. And last year, Google said it would plow another $400 million into its data center in Council Bluffs.