Apple building a campus in N.C.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Apple is expanding spending in the U.S. and announced plans Monday to build its first East Coast campus, in North Carolina.

The iPhone maker said it is increasing U.S. spending to $430 billion over the next five years and doubling its hiring plans by 20,000 jobs. It had said it would spend $350 billion in January 2018, just after Congress approved a big tax overhaul that cut corporate taxes.

Apple says it is stepping up investment as the U.S. begins rebuilding from the covid-19 pandemic. The company for years has emphasized its role in the U.S. economy to help counter criticism about its reliance on overseas factories, often taking advantage of local tax breaks.

Besides North Carolina, the company is also expanding its teams in Colorado, Massachusetts, Texas, Washington, New York, California and other states.

Apple will invest $1 billion in North Carolina, and the campus, in the Raleigh-Durham area’s Research Triangle Park, is expected to bring at least 3,000 new jobs to the state in machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering and other fields. The workers will earn an average salary of about $185,000, the company says.

State Commerce Secretary Machelle Sanders said the 3,000 positions Apple will create will be in addition to the company’s existing 1,100-worker footprint in the state.

Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said that once Apple creates the jobs, the tech giant will be eligible for incentives he considers “transformational.” Apple is scheduled to receive nearly $846 million in tax reimbursements over the next 39 years. Cooper believes Apple’s announcement will encourage other companies to move to North Carolina and have a positive ripple effect on local businesses in the Raleigh area.

“Once this campus is up and running, it’s expected to generate more than $1.5 billion a year in economic impact to our state,” Cooper said at a news conference Monday.

The construction timeline is not yet clear, though state officials said Apple has told them it wants to get the new campus up and running as soon as possible.

Apple also said it plans to establish a $100 million fund to support schools and community initiatives in the Raleigh-Durham area and contribute more than $110 million in North Carolina infrastructure spending.