Apple announces massive Austin, Texas expansion underway

Apple Austin Campus render
A rendering of Apple’s new Austin campus, expected to open in 2022.

A year ago Apple announced a billion-dollar investment to expand its regional offices in Austin, Texas. The company announced Wednesday that construction on that new campus is underway, and is expected to open in 2022.

Apple has long had offices in Austin, Texas, where the company already employs about 7,000 people – a 50 percent increase over the past half-decade. The new 3-million-square-foot campus will house 5,000 workers, with the capacity to grow to 15,000 eventually. Apple noted that the Austin campus is only part of its nationwide expansion.

Apple’s growth in Austin is part of the company’s nationwide expansion — announced in January 2018 — to increase its investment in manufacturing, engineering and other jobs across the US. Apple is on track to contribute $350 billion to the US economy between 2018 and 2023, and during that time will hire an additional 20,000 employees in cities across the country.

The site will maximize green space, with landscaping covering more than 60 percent of the grounds, and will include a 50-acre nature and wildlife preserve that will be open to the public. Apple is working with Bartlett Tree Experts, an Austin firm, to plant native species. The new Austin campus will be powered by 100 percent renewable energy, according to Apple.

The Mac Pro, coming in December, is also being manufactured by Apple in Austin (in a separate facility located near the new campus). It goes on sale in December for $5,999. President Trump is expected to tour the Mac Pro manufacturing facility with Apple CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday.