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Apple Ramping Up Hiring for North Carolina Data Center

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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As noted by 9 to 5 Mac, Apple has begun ramping up hiring for its new data center in Maiden, North Carolina, posting ten new job openings at the site over the past few days. While rumors have suggested that the new $1 billion center might be used to support expanded cloud computing efforts, the new postings are primarily related to the technical operation of the data center and thus provide little insight into Apple's plans for the site.


103650-maiden_job_listings.jpg


In addition to this week's new postings, Apple has ten other active job openings likely related to the project that were posted over the past two months, listing them as being located in Charlotte and Hickory, North Carolina, the two cities closest to Maiden. This week's haul, however, doubles the number of currently open positions and suggests that the company may be nearing completion of construction on the project.

Last month, aerial footage of the massive data center surfaced showing work well underway on the project.

Article Link: Apple Ramping Up Hiring for North Carolina Data Center
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2010/03/26/apple-ramping-up-hiring-for-north-carolina-data-center/
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WillisWasabi

macrumors newbie
May 29, 2008
9
0
Plans?

I wouldn't expect to be able to glean plans for the site based on job postings for the data center itself. A data center will have just about the same job classifications no matter what it does: network engineers, electricians, cablers, dock, "smart hands" and maybe some system administrators.

All the interesting stuff defining what happens there will be done remotely from Cupertino.
 
RalfTheDog

RalfTheDog

macrumors 68020
Feb 23, 2010
2,115
1,869
Lagrange Point
It all relates to Apple's new plan to save FedEx and travel expenses by downloading products and people. Remember to check your email on iPad day. You don't want your new device going stale in your inbox.
 
J

jeznav

macrumors 6502
Aug 10, 2007
459
14
Eh?
Cluster computing

So we can use iPads as thin clients while intensive processing power is handled by NC's clustered servers using GrandCentral. Your MobileMe now becomes your DQPP service (Data Queue and Process Pool).
 
C

ckater

macrumors newbie
Jan 27, 2010
11
40
uaecasher said:
I'm pretty sure it's mostly for the App store, especially with the iPad coming.
Click to expand...

I don't think so. These Apps are pretty small compared to music and TV content (especially HD).
That has to be the movement of the whole content from your harddisc into the cloud.

Question is: When will Apple use these capacities? Starting in summer with the new iPhone OS/iTunes and new iPods in fall? Or have we to wait until 2011? Does someone know, how long it takes to set up an huge datacenter into full operation? Three months or more than a year?
 
Friscohoya

Friscohoya

macrumors 6502a
Jun 16, 2009
708
0
Oaktown
At least someone is hiring. I wonder how they are enforcing their doctrine of secrecy in NC? They got a whole new pool of workers now that need to drink the koolaid.
 
R

RMXO

macrumors 6502a
Sep 1, 2009
875
41
thebill said:
Dream job. Working in the cloud would give me "Eternal Sunshine" even if I didn't have a "Spotless Mind". :p
Click to expand...

+1 for bringing up a great movie

I wished they had the data center in VA. I recently moved here & looking for an IT job is slow where I'm at.
 
Consultant

Consultant

macrumors G5
Jun 27, 2007
13,314
34
WillisWasabi said:
I wouldn't expect to be able to glean plans for the site based on job postings for the data center itself. A data center will have just about the same job classifications no matter what it does: network engineers, electricians, cablers, dock, "smart hands" and maybe some system administrators.

All the interesting stuff defining what happens there will be done remotely from Cupertino.
Click to expand...

Those are staff to get / keep the building operational. Doesn't seem to be hiring the computing positions yet.
 
S

str1f3

macrumors 68000
Aug 24, 2008
1,859
0
ckater said:
I don't think so. These Apps are pretty small compared to music and TV content (especially HD).
That has to be the movement of the whole content from your harddisc into the cloud.

Question is: When will Apple use these capacities? Starting in summer with the new iPhone OS/iTunes and new iPods in fall? Or have we to wait until 2011? Does someone know, how long it takes to set up an huge datacenter into full operation? Three months or more than a year?
Click to expand...

As to when it would be ready may be irrelevant. What may take longer is actually striking deals with the content owners. The music labels may jump aboard but Apple is still desperately tring to score a subscription deal for movies and TV. From reports, they're even having a hard time convincing them to even let them store their iTunes bought content in the cloud for streaming. This is not even considering the cable companies who are doing they're best to subvert this whole process.
 
J

jpyc7

macrumors 6502
Mar 8, 2009
276
0
Denver, CO
Friscohoya said:
At least someone is hiring. I wonder how they are enforcing their doctrine of secrecy in NC? They got a whole new pool of workers now that need to drink the koolaid.
Click to expand...

Well, the people who work there won't really know much except maybe how many machines there are. They might have a vague idea of what the machines are doing, but probably very little detail. Generally, these are people who have to make sure the cabling is correct, replace power supplies that go bad, test fire suppression systems, etc.

Data center jobs really aren't very glamorous and there's no windows (the glass that looks out on the outside world, not the OS).
 
L

lespaul85

macrumors member
Mar 26, 2010
31
0
I've interviewed twice with them this week. They just had a hiring conference in Charlotte for the data center. All work as far as I can tell is on site at the Maiden center (not in Charlotte or Hickory, and no remote as far as I can tell so far). They are hiring network admins, Unix admins, and the usual hardware buildup people you'd expect in a data center. The jobs are interviewing now but are materializing in about 6 months (maybe to coincide with the opening of the center). The center will be empty for now but will build up slowly from what I understand initially as a mirror/failover site to Cupertino with eventual room to build up server space for eventual vendor/external transactions and whatever increased volume the iPad and future devices may bring in as a result. It will also house mobile-me and I believe itunes servers, probably as part of the failover initiative. Nothing too exciting, just a big data center built near where Google just built theirs to gain the tax incentives NC believes they can offer.
 
RalfTheDog

RalfTheDog

macrumors 68020
Feb 23, 2010
2,115
1,869
Lagrange Point
Blatant attempt to up my post count so I can have an avatar.

I would say, "Jobs from Jobs" but that is below my standards. That is quiet sad as I did not think I had standards.
 
C

ckater

macrumors newbie
Jan 27, 2010
11
40
lespaul85 said:
I've interviewed twice with them this week. Nothing too exciting, just a big data center built near where Google just built theirs to gain the tax incentives NC believes they can offer.
Click to expand...

I don't think they will tell you the exciting stuff until you signed your contract, get the usual brainwash, signed another NDA, get a shower, get connected to some electrodes to check you loyability, moved into the datacenter, get another shower and get cut off your tongue...
:)
 
anthonymoody

anthonymoody

macrumors 68040
Aug 8, 2002
3,059
1,149
uaecasher said:
I'm pretty sure it's mostly for the App store, especially with the iPad coming.
Click to expand...


No way. WAY too big for simple redundancy of what they already do quite well now (i.e. when was the last time the app store went down?) even if you guestimate that the app store will quadruple in size over the next 12 months.
 
J

jmull

macrumors regular
Sep 16, 2009
190
0
Friscohoya said:
At least someone is hiring. I wonder how they are enforcing their doctrine of secrecy in NC? They got a whole new pool of workers now that need to drink the koolaid.
Click to expand...

NC has given Apple the keys to the state practically, so they would build here. And the way people around here love to talk, I can't wait.
 
C

chrispenn1

macrumors newbie
Mar 23, 2010
10
0
ckater said:
I don't think so. These Apps are pretty small compared to music and TV content (especially HD).
That has to be the movement of the whole content from your harddisc into the cloud.

Question is: When will Apple use these capacities? Starting in summer with the new iPhone OS/iTunes and new iPods in fall? Or have we to wait until 2011? Does someone know, how long it takes to set up an huge datacenter into full operation? Three months or more than a year?
Click to expand...


All depends what you're doing. It depends on what you're putting in it, what's running into it and how sober the little men nailing it together are. How long is a piece of string?
 
C

chrispenn1

macrumors newbie
Mar 23, 2010
10
0
Google + HTC + Apple = WAR

Apple attempt to murder google as comeback? Apple search engine?

Herm... who knows.
 
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