Apple Building a “Tactical Data Center”

Wired has scored a bunch of exclusive photos depicting a new building currently under construction over at Apple’s Maiden, North Carolina server farm powering the company’s iCloud.

The building is said to be a “tactical data center” which, according to Wired citing Rackspace Chief Technology Officer John Engates, could be “a neutral spot where Apple partners can come and plug their gear into Apple’s grid without getting any exposure to the fantastic secrets housed in the larger 500,000-square-foot facility.”

The imagery was obtained with a flyover using a 1949 Piper PA-11 (Cub Special) iSpy Plane. Other photos depict Apple’s commitment to stay green, including a 4.8-megawatt array of Bloom Energy fuel cells, which convert biogas into electricity, and a 100-acre solar farm.

Despite such efforts, Greenpeace is accusing Apple of situating the data center on Duke Energy’s power grid.