Apple Secures Extension for 3,000-Job RTP Campus in NC

RALEIGH, N.C. — Apple Inc. received a four-year extension from North Carolina's Economic Investment Committee on its 2021 deal to build a 1-million-square-foot campus in Research Triangle Park, near Morrisville and Cary in Wake County. Originally announced in April 2021, the $552 million project promised 3,000 high-tech jobs in machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering and related fields, backed by up to $845 million in state incentives tied to performance targets. Construction has not started, with Apple pausing plans in June 2024 to lease office space instead, including MetLife’s Global Technology Campus in Cary and a former Biogen building on Slater Road in South Durham.

The extension resets the clock, designating 2027 as "year one" for hiring milestones: Apple must add 126 jobs by year's end, scaling to 1,719 by the fifth year and 2,700 by the tenth. Since 2021, the company has created about 600 positions in the Raleigh area, housing workers in temporary leased facilities while site plans for three office buildings, accessory structures and a parking garage totaling nearly 900,000 square feet await revival. The broader $1 billion commitment includes $448 million for a data center expansion in Catawba County.

Local universities stand to gain as Apple joins Research Triangle Park, the hub anchored by UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. State University in Raleigh and Duke University in Durham — much like IBM did in 1965. Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz of UNC welcomed the initial announcement, noting benefits for education and the state economy. Projections peg the fully operational campus at generating $1.5 billion in annual economic impact, spurring startups, vendors and housing demand in the Triangle.