Aerial Photos of Apple's Oregon Data Center Site - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Aerial Photos of Apple's Oregon Data Center Site

Following up on its aerial tour of Apple's North Carolina data center earlier this year, Wired has again taken to the skies to get a glimpse of Apple's data center site in Prineville, Oregon.

prineville data center site
While construction on the first of two 338,000 square-foot buildings planned for the site is just getting started, Apple's initial "tactical data center" is already in place.

Apple finished this building earlier this year, but just south of it, you can see what will be the site of its much larger 338,000-square-foot data center. Apple wants to eventually build two of these monster data centers on the 160-acre site, but right now, there’s no sign of the second facility.

prineville tactical data center
Apple's tactical data center in Prineville

The photos also show the close proximity of Apple's project to Facebook's twin data centers. Facebook's first 330,000 square-foot data center opened last year, and the second one is nearing completion.

Apple has been working quickly to expand its data center capacity, opening its North Carolina data center last year and earlier this year announcing both the Oregon project and another one in Nevada as it seeks to support the rapidly growing needs of its digital stores and iCloud.

Popular Stories

iphone 18 pro max prepare

iPhone 18 Pro Max Requires 'Prepare to Ship' Battery Drain Before Shipping

Friday September 18, 2026 4:27 pm PDT by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max has a battery capacity over 20 watt-hours, which means there are additional shipping requirements. If an iPhone 18 Pro Max needs to be shipped somewhere, its maximum battery capacity has to be limited through firmware. According to Apple, the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses an "innovative battery-firmware solution" that limits battery capacity to below 20Wh between when the...
8 CarPlay Features in iOS 27 Feature

Which iOS 27 CarPlay Features Actually Work in Your Car?

Thursday September 17, 2026 4:17 am PDT by
In iOS 27, available now, CarPlay gets its biggest update in years, but some features depend on what type of car you have rather than your iPhone model. Some of the biggest additions won't do anything in the vast majority of vehicles on the road today. Here's how the new features pan out. Works in Any CarPlay Vehicle Custom widgets: In iOS 27, CarPlay is no longer limited to Apple's handful ...
imac video apple feature

Apple Releasing Two New Macs Next Week

Friday September 18, 2026 10:07 am PDT by
Last month, Apple announced new Mac mini and Mac Studio models, and the computers are finally set to launch this coming Tuesday, September 22. The new Mac mini is available with M6 and M5 Pro chip options, while the new Mac Studio can be configured with M5 Max or M5 Ultra chips. To learn more, read our coverage:Apple Announces New Mac Mini With M6 and M5 Pro Chips and More Apple Unveils ...

Top Rated Comments

180 months ago
Is this on Hoth?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
180 months ago
@topic: I think it is very good this datacenter uses 100% renewable energy. What will Greenpeace say now?

Lots of squirrels are now homeless.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
180 months ago
What's a 'tactical data centre'?

Wondering the same thing.

As opposed to a strategic data centre? Who knows?

It's a temporary/popup datacenter. If you look at the closeup of it, you'll notice you've got one main (Rather temporary looking) building, and shipping containers along the side of it. Each of those shipping containers is kitted out a a mini datacenter.

The trailer parked up behind those, will likely be the backup generator for the temporary server farm.

They are fairly common now, however really shouldnt be used for something as important/mission critical as iCloud IMO. I've seen a few providers resort to using these only to have it all go tits up when anything happened weather wise.

I guess it's all down to how well built they are. Quite a few companies make and use these now. HP, IBM, Sun, Google, Cisco, Toshiba to name a few.

Sun provide a bunch of great videos showing their 'Project Blackbox' datacenter in a shipping container: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=svLdboZdfQ0
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
180 months ago
seriously, who cares. just make the damn things work and provide an excellent user experience.
This is part of the strategy to 'make the damn things work'. If the structure of how they are doing that does not interest you that's cool. I am a longstanding geek who is very interested in how they plan on providing the services they promise. I also grew up in Oregon so this is doubly of interest to me.

So I care, that's who.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
orbital~debris Avatar
180 months ago
What's a 'tactical data centre'?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shearwater Avatar
180 months ago
If they have used Apple Maps this may not even be Oregon!!...:eek:
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
M6 Pro Chip Result on Geekbench is Likely Fake
M6 Pro Chip Result on Geekbench is Likely Fake
19 hours ago
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Sees First Discount After Launch, Now $779.99 on Amazon
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Sees First Discount After Launch, Now $779.99 on Amazon
22 hours ago
Top Stories: iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate Out Now, Siri AI Waitlist, and More
Top Stories: iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate Out Now, Siri AI Waitlist, and More
1 day ago
Apple Exec Says 'Hold Us Accountable' on iPhone Duo Crease
Apple Exec Says 'Hold Us Accountable' on iPhone Duo Crease
1 day ago
iPhone 18 Pro Max Requires 'Prepare to Ship' Battery Drain Before Shipping
iPhone 18 Pro Max Requires 'Prepare to Ship' Battery Drain Before Shipping
2 days ago
Hands-On With the Apple Watch Series 12
Hands-On With the Apple Watch Series 12
2 days ago
M5 Ultra and M6 Chip Benchmark Results Reveal Graphics Performance
M5 Ultra and M6 Chip Benchmark Results Reveal Graphics Performance
2 days ago
iPhone 18 Pro Max in U.S. Has Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 Modem
iPhone 18 Pro Max in U.S. Has Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 Modem
2 days ago
Apple Releases Xcode 27.1 Beta With iPhone Duo Support
Apple Releases Xcode 27.1 Beta With iPhone Duo Support
2 days ago
Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Ultra 4 Buyer's Guide
Apple Watch Series 12 vs. Ultra 4 Buyer's Guide
2 days ago
MacRumors Giveaway: Win an iPhone Duo From iMazing
MacRumors Giveaway: Win an iPhone Duo From iMazing
2 days ago
'Shop Different': Apple Retail Pioneer Ron Johnson Shares the Inside Story
'Shop Different': Apple Retail Pioneer Ron Johnson Shares the Inside Story
2 days ago
Apple Teams Up With ROSÉ for iPhone 18 Pro Camera Ad
Apple Teams Up With ROSÉ for iPhone 18 Pro Camera Ad
2 days ago
The MacRumors Show: Is the iPhone Duo Actually Worth It?
The MacRumors Show: Is the iPhone Duo Actually Worth It?
2 days ago
Apple Designers Explain the Thinking Behind iPhone Duo
Apple Designers Explain the Thinking Behind iPhone Duo
2 days ago
Are iPhone 17 Pro Cases Compatible With iPhone 18 Pro? Here's What Apple Says
Are iPhone 17 Pro Cases Compatible With iPhone 18 Pro? Here's What Apple Says
2 days ago
Apple Supplier Subsidiary Considering U.S. Flash Memory Factory
Apple Supplier Subsidiary Considering U.S. Flash Memory Factory
2 days ago
Apple Launch Day Deals on iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12, and More
Apple Launch Day Deals on iPhone 18 Pro, AirPods 5, Apple Watch Series 12, and More
2 days ago
iPhone 18 Pro Teardown Reveals How Apple Shrunk the Dynamic Island
iPhone 18 Pro Teardown Reveals How Apple Shrunk the Dynamic Island
2 days ago
iPhone 18 Pro Demand Stronger Than Expected
iPhone 18 Pro Demand Stronger Than Expected
2 days ago
Fan Site Lets You 'Design the Next iPhone'
Fan Site Lets You 'Design the Next iPhone'
2 days ago
Apple Stores Have a New 'Hello' Easter Egg, Here's Why
Apple Stores Have a New 'Hello' Easter Egg, Here's Why
2 days ago
iPhone 18 Pro: The New Features You Should Try First
iPhone 18 Pro: The New Features You Should Try First
2 days ago
iPhone 18 Pro: Using the New Variable Aperture Lens
iPhone 18 Pro: Using the New Variable Aperture Lens
2 days ago
Forgot to Pre-Order iPhone 18 Pro? Apple Store Pickup Available Today at Most Locations
Forgot to Pre-Order iPhone 18 Pro? Apple Store Pickup Available Today at Most Locations
2 days ago
Apple CEO John Ternus Teases iPhone 18 Pro Launch Day
Apple CEO John Ternus Teases iPhone 18 Pro Launch Day
2 days ago
First iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5 Orders Arriving to Customers
First iPhone 18 Pro, Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5 Orders Arriving to Customers
3 days ago
iPhone 18 Pro Launching Tomorrow With These 10 New Features
iPhone 18 Pro Launching Tomorrow With These 10 New Features
3 days ago
How to Get the New 3-Month Trial of Apple One Premier ($120 Value)
How to Get the New 3-Month Trial of Apple One Premier ($120 Value)
3 days ago
New iPhone 18 Pro Models Will Have Day One Update
New iPhone 18 Pro Models Will Have Day One Update
3 days ago