TikTok to Invest $500M in 1st European Data Center
The company selected Ireland as the location for its new facility, slated for completion in early 2022.
TikTok. Image via Pixabay.com
Social media company TikTok has revealed plans for a new data center project in Ireland, according to Roland Cloutier, Tik Tok’s global chief information security officer. The estimated cost of the firm’s first European facility is approximately $497 million (€420 million). Tik Tok expects the development to be completed and operational by the first quarter of 2022.
The data center will be used to store European user data and play an important role in the company’s mission to bolster the protection of TikTok user information—the facility will be protected by a modern physical and network security defense system. Additionally, the project could allow for faster loading times for European users.
The investment could potentially create hundreds of new jobs in Ireland, which is a key market for the company’s European operations. In January, the social media operator inaugurated its EMEA Trust & Safety Hub in Dublin. Additionally, TikTok appointed its Irish entity to become a data controller alongside its U.K. subsidiary.
The move comes at a time when the social media giant is undergoing scrutiny and faces a possible ban in the U.S. The company is facing accusations of being a national security risk due to its data collection practices, an allegation Tik Tok has repeatedly denied. Microsoft is in talks with ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to acquire the social media platform’s North American and Australasian operations. If these negotiations conclude before September 15, TikTok could avoid the proposed ban.
You must be logged in to post a comment.