Apple moves Denmark from cows to clouds

(EU Observer, 7 Jan 2019) Apart from the local football field, not much happens in Foulum, where farming has provided people with a livelihood for as long as anyone can remember. But soon Foulum will become a key hub in the global data infrastructure.

But soon Foulum will become a key hub in the global data infrastructure.

California-based technology giant Apple will open its first data centre outside the US in the village in 2019, and turn it into the physical location for storage of millions upon millions of Apple users' data.

Between cows and pigs in Foulum, data from iPhones, iTunes music, Apple's voice assistant Siri, iCloud and other Apple services will be stored and distributed.

The first servers are expected to start routing data via Foulum in 2019 and when the centre reaches full capacity it will be one of the biggest in the world.

Still under construction, six large halls will be full of computer servers, requiring huge amounts of electricity. It will produce surplus heat, and also need high-security protection.

Denmark was chosen due to its stability, both geographical and political (no earthquakes or foreseeable societal upheaval), but above all because of its electricity infrastructure, which is "crazy good and reliable," one source close to Apple told EUobserver.

"The Nordic area, and in particular Denmark, also has an attractive climate with, normally, not very high temperatures," he said.

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EU Observer, 7 Jan 2019: Apple moves Denmark from cows to clouds