Microsoft to build 1 billion dollar data center in San Antonio.

[exstatic]

Microsoft is looking to create a 470,000-square-foot structure that would employ about 100 people and would be next to the $68 million Lowe's Cos. Inc.'s data center announced earlier this year, according to a source with knowledge of the project.

3 parking attendants, 1 front desk clerk, 48 security guards, a janitorial staff of 30, 10 cafeteria workers, and 18 secretaries.

[CubanMustGo]

"a significant portion of electricity in Texas is generated by wind,"

anybody know the percentage?

Looks like there is some for SA, but significant portion?

http://www.seco.cpa.state.tx.us/re_wind.htm

For the past two years, Texas has been the top wind producer in the United States. As of April 2007, Texas had an installed wind generating capacity of 2,768 megawatts (MW) with more than 1,000 MW of new wind capacity under construction. According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), U.S. wind power generating capacity increased by 27% in 2006 and is expected to increase an additional 26% (more than 3,000 MW) in 2007 due to strong demand, investment of private capital, and the support of federal and state governments. AWEA predicts that two-thirds of that growth will occur in Texas, as three of the five largest wind farms in the nation are located in Texas.

and http://utopia.utexas.edu/articles/tb...&sub=economics

As for Texas, the total net 2002 summer, electric generating capacity (all sectors) was about 94,488 MW, of which fossil fuel, generation was 93 percent, nuclear 5 percent, hydroelectric about 0.7 percent, and non-hydro renewables about 1.3 percent.

So it's probably fairly safe to say that wind generation in 2007 is around 2.5% of total energy production with another 1% under construction.

Also of interest from the second article:

Texas ranks first in the nation for its total renewable energy potential, which stems from its diverse climate and vast size. In addition, each of the state's renewable resources, such as solar, wind, and biomass potential, rank among the top in the nation. The wind energy potential of Texas is about 136,000 MW, a very close second to top-ranked North Dakota. This is almost twice the state's electricity speak demand. By the end of 2003, U.S. ulative wind energy capacity was 6,374 MW, with Texas, at 1,293 MW, ranking second for the most ulative wind power capacity in the nation.

Similarly, Texas lists among the states with the greatest solar potential. South and West Texas and the Panhandle provide the best settings for large-scale wind and solar projects, and the best biomass resources are located in East Texas and the Panhandle. By developing these extensive handle renewable sources of energy in the future, Texas could not only provide for its own energy needs, but also become one of the largest exporters of renewable energy.

By more than doubling wind capacity since 2003, Texas has overtaken California for the lead in wind energy production.

[Mark in Austin]

Chrapaty, who wore a white shirt, khaki pants and cowboy boots, surveyed the job site with the rest of the Microsoft officials in a white stretch Hummer.

I guess the green thinking at Microsoft hasn't permeated all levels of the company yet...

[boutons_]

Rackspace vows to add 3,000 jobs

Web Posted: 08/01/2007 11:22 PM CDT

L.A. Lorek
Express-News Business Writer

The San Antonio City Council today will consider a package of economic incentives for Rackspace Managed Hosting to add more than 3,000 jobs and move its operations to the Windsor Park Mall.

The deal involves the city giving taxing rights for 221 acres, including the mall site, to the city of Windcrest and the Windcrest Economic Development Corp. The city and development corporation would then lease the mall back to Rackspace for 30 years.

"We feel like going to the mall is a crazy good idea," said Lanham Napier, Rackspace's chief executive officer. "It's great that we can go into an area that has been struggling and add economic vitality to it. We want to do to San Antonio what Dell did to Austin."

Rackspace provides Web hosting services to businesses and has grown quickly since its 1998 founding.

Under the deal being considered, Rackspace would locate 2,000 employees to the mall by the end of 2009 and would expand to 4,500 jobs, with an average salary of $51,000, by 2012. It has 1,300 San Antonio employees now.


If Rackspace does not meet the goals for jobs and average salary, it will have to pay its full tax bill.

Rackspace, which was started here by three Trinity University students, considered moving its operations to other Texas cities and to North Carolina before deciding on the Windsor Park Mall location, Napier said.

"We think it's the right long-term home," he said. "The first thing is that building was designed to create a sense of community once you are inside it. We think the mall has great infrastructure to it."

In addition to the Rackspace project, the Windcrest Economic Development Corp. has a contract pending on 111 acres south of the mall, said Ray Watson, director of the Windcrest Economic Development Corp.

It plans to sell the land to a developer, which will create a $225 million mixed-use project of residential and retail facilities, he said. It is in the process of selecting a developer for the project, part of a plan to create a campus-like atmosphere for technology workers.

The city of Windcrest, with a population of 5,000, and the Windcrest Economic Development Corp. have proposed a package of economic development incentives, including abating property taxes. Bexar County commissioners approved a similar plan during its July 24 meeting.

Today, the city will consider a boundary change agreement. The 221 acres would include the Windsor Park Mall site and surrounding properties and a strip along Interstate 35 from Walzem Road to Eisenhauer. The City Council will vote on that and other incentives.

"It's complex," said Robert Peche, the city's economic development director. "But it's something each organization involved has gone to the extent it could go to get this thing done."

The City Council has already approved an incentive package May 30. But in the past few months, the incentives have changed slightly, so the council will need to vote again, Peche said.

The boundary change agreement also falls under new state legislation, House Bill 3367, passed specifically for this project. Rep. Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, sponsored the bill.

"It's not unusual for legislation to be passed around the facts of a particular project," Peche said. "It allowed it to be a little bit of a simpler process for the two cities."

Rackspace plans to invest $100 million in property improvements to the mall building, said Randy Smith, the company's manager of real estate services. Under the incentive package, Rackspace would receive a 14-year tax exemption from paying taxes beginning Jan. 1, 2009. However, it would make payments in lieu of taxes to the North East Independent School District, Smith said.

The deal still needs the Bexar Appraisal District to approve Windcrest Economic Development Corp. as a tax-exempt organization representing the mall property.

It also guarantees that the city of San Antonio will be reimbursed at least $4.1 million during the next 30 years, according to do ents filed with the city. That's the amount it would have collected in property taxes at the site. In the best-case scenario, it could receive $34.5 million.

That's because the city of San Antonio and Windcrest would share equally all sales and property taxes from the Eisenhauer mixed-use development for 30 years. In addition, San Antonio and Windcrest will split a Rackspace payment in lieu of taxes for 16 years of its 30-year lease.

Rackspace is a fast-growing technology company with $224 million in revenue for 2006 and a 60 percent rise in revenue projected this year. The company now has 1,800 employees, including 1,300 in San Antonio.

"The community is making a big show of support for Rackspace," Napier said. "With that investment, you have an expectation of performance. We want to deliver for you thousands of high-paying jobs."

[email protected]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/global-i...e.34311c0.html

[CubanMustGo]

What a no-brainer for Windcrest - free money, baby! - not to mention trying to do something with a part of SA that has really started crumbling over the last decade and is no doubt impacting Windcrest property values.

Great deal for everyone involved. And a shout out to my fellow Trinity grads for not only setting the company up but for keeping the jobs in SA.

[ShoogarBear]

This isn't my field, but I'm amazed that a company which does Web hosting requires 2000-5000 employees, but a Microsoft data center employs less than 100.

But my Dad lives out that way and you're right, the area needs a boost. Windsor Park opened my senior year at Roosevelt and it's always sad when I drive past it these days.

[CubanMustGo]

It is my field ;-) and it's much more manpower intensive to do hosting for a mul ude of customers than one customer (e.g. Microsoft hosting Microsoft) where you can enforce a common set of rules, policies, hardware, and so forth.

My company is consolidating literally hundreds of its own data centers worldwide into a handful. The number of employees required once that is done is a small fraction of what we had when we started a couple of years ago. But at the same time, we do IT services for outside customers and the number of employees providing those IT services is much higher relative to the amount of equipment being serviced.

[boutons_]

"2000-5000 employees, but a Microsoft data center employs less than 100."

RS will have its corp HQ and all the attendant and overhead people, etc, etc in the Windcrest site..

MS is parachuting in a highly-automated, tele-administered server farm, except for a few local monkeys to service bad hardware, mop the floors, maintain the cooling, etc.

[ShoogarBear]

Sounds good, just so long as it's Rackspace and not Rackthemouse.

[exstatic]

Kudos to Rackspace for actually bringing in a load of GOOD PAYING JOBS to the area. That average salary promise makes me want to apply there when they have like ten positions left and need to hit that average.

[exstatic]

Under the deal being considered, Rackspace would locate 2,000 employees to the mall by the end of 2009 and would expand to 4,500 jobs, with an average salary of $51,000, by 2012. It has 1,300 San Antonio employees now.

If they hit that figure, their payroll would be $229,500,000.

[Buddy Holly]

It plans to sell the land to a developer, which will create a $225 million mixed-use project of residential and retail facilities, he said. It is in the process of selecting a developer for the project, part of a plan to create a campus-like atmosphere for technology workers.

Nice.

[CubanMustGo]

More on the Rackspace deal ...

http://www.mysanantonio.com/business...3.2b26c82.html

State kicking in $22 million for Rackspace move

Web Posted: 08/02/2007 08:04 PM CDT
L.A. Lorek
Express-News Business Writer

Rackspace Managed Hosting will receive a $22 million grant from the Texas Enterprise Fund as part of an incentive package to help the high-tech company relocate to Windsor Park Mall and add up to 4,000 new jobs around the state.

Gov. Rick Perry announced the grant in a news release Thursday, saying it will generate more than $100 million in capital investment.

Rackspace must add 3,000 new jobs in San Antonio and another 1,000 statewide. It has an office in Austin and a data center in Grapevine.

Earlier Thursday, San Antonio City Council members unanimously approved a boundary change giving the city of Windcrest taxing rights on 221 acres so it can establish a campus for Rackspace at Windsor Park Mall.

"We are extremely thankful for all the support," said Lanham Napier, chief executive officer of Rackspace. "If we can have our dream come true, we'll move our first group of Rackers by year's end."

It's one of the largest grants the Texas Enterprise Fund has given, Perry said in the news release. "The company's decision to expand in Texas will provide economic revitalization and reinforce our state's position as the world's premier place to do business," he said.

The grant was key in keeping Rackspace's operations in San Antonio, said Graham Weston, Rackspace's chairman. The company had threatened to leave unless leaders provided tax incentives to expand.

"Rackspace is a true homegrown success story," San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger said in a news release.

Founded in 1998 by three Trinity University students, Rackspace has grown from a few hundred employees to 1,800 workers, including 1,300 in San Antonio. It's the city's fastest-growing high-tech company, with revenue of $224 million in 2006 and expecting 60 percent sales growth this year.

During 2007, the company plans to hire 900 workers.

Rackspace houses some of the world's most important Web sites for many Fortune 500 companies at its eight data centers in Texas, Virginia and London.

"It's wonderful for Rackspace to make a statement that they would like to be the Dell of San Antonio," Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said. "It shows their community spirit."

Wolff also praised Windcrest city officials and their economic development department, which worked aggressively to redevelop the mall area.

Windcrest, with a population of 5,000, led the charge in the Rackspace project, Wolff said.

Under the deal, Windcrest will pay San Antonio for 30 years on the 221 acres it gave up. San Antonio is guaranteed to receive at least $4.1 million, but it could receive as much as $34.5 million in a split of property and sales taxes.

San Antonio gave Microsoft Corp. a 10-year, 100 percent tax abatement worth $20.7 million and voted to provide $5.2 million from the CPS Energy economic development fund for its $550 million data center in Westover Hills. But the only incentive the city provided to Rackspace was the boundary change.

In addition to the $22 million state grant, Rackspace is receiving incentives from Windcrest, including a 14-year tax abatement on the property.

Windcrest officials also are purchasing 111 acres south of the mall and plan to select a developer to create a $225 million mixed-used residential and retail complex.

Rackspace plans to invest $100 million in the Windsor Park Mall location. It also plans to move its 1,300 local employees to the mall and to hire 3,000 more employees with an average salary of $51,000 within the next five years.

"This has been a very, very important project for District 2," said San Antonio Councilwoman Sheila D. McNeil, who represents the district where the project is taking place. "This is going to have a ripple effect for generations to come."

Diane G. Cibrian, a councilwoman for District 8 where Rackspace now is located, said: "I think this going to be very important to the future of our city."

Yet she said Rackspace would leave a significant hole in her district. It currently leases part of a 180,000-square-foot building at 9725 Datapoint Drive. But she said the University of the Incarnate Word has expressed an interest in moving part of its pharmacy school operations to that building, she said.

For the past four years, Windcrest Mayor Jack Leonhardt said the city has tried to redevelop the Windsor Park Mall. The mall closed several years ago.

"Rackspace is an economic development catalyst for the Northeast Side," Leonhardt said.

[email protected]

[Clutch20]

This is part of a bigger list of technologies in San Antonio. Those employees that are in charge of the digital end of these places have transferable expertise to places such as data centers number well over a 100. But maybe for some of them that would be either a lateral move or pay cut..............


Memphis Business Journal by Toby Sells on August 3, 2007
South Texas Centre officially opens in Southwest San Antonio
...applications and a shared technology infrastructure by which participating nonprofit agencies can link. The campus is located in Southwest San Antonio. The new campus is......

San Antonio Business Journal on August 3, 2007
San Antonio approves Rackspace plan, company to create 4,000 jobs
...is completed. Rackspace is a technology company that hosts Web sites and applications through seven data centers in San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Virginia and the......

San Antonio Business Journal on August 2, 2007
Md. biotech begins testing flu vaccine in humans
...of deaths in Southeast Asia...Discoveries in San Antonio, one of...proprietary VLP technology against a......

Baltimore Business Journal by Erin Killian on July 31, 2007
Karta founder charts a new course in wake of firm's sale
...heavily involved in the local arena and help grow the investment side of the technology community as well as support the San Antonio Technology Accelerator......

San Antonio Business Journal by Catherine Dominguez on July 20, 2007
Armida Technologies expands video surveillance capabilities
...Armida Technologies, a local...will allow San Antonio-based Armida...and scalability in wireless video......

Austin Business Journal by Sandra Zaragoza on July 13, 2007
SATAI elects new leadership at the technology group
...of the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Barshop is the president of Barshop Ventures, a technology venture capital investment firm in San Antonio. His......

San Antonio Business Journal on July 13, 2007
Ins ute to conduct virtual explosions in St. Louis Park
...small office in St. Louis...for the San Antonio, Texas-based...University, and technology research groups......

Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal by Katharine Grayson on July 13, 2007
Google leases former Agilent HQ in Palo Alto
...former Agilent Technologies headquarters in Palo Alto...acquired by San Francisco developer...along San Antonio and Embarcadero......

Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal by Sharon Simonson on July 12, 2007
XO Communications builds out new wireless network in San Antonio
...giving businesses in San Antonio a new...broadband wireless technology to 36......

San Antonio Business Journal on July 11, 2007
Google leases former Agilent HQ in Palo Alto
...former Agilent Technologies headquarters in Palo Alto...acquired by San Francisco developer...along San Antonio and Embarcadero......

San Francisco Business Times by Sharon Simonson on July 11, 2007
San Antonio cancer center ranked best in the nation
...Award" from the magazine Outpatient Care Technology. This makes the San Antonio cancer facility the No. 1 clinic in the country, according to the publication......

San Antonio Business Journal on July 6, 2007
National info-tech firm opens office in San Antonio market
...SunGard offers will likely grow. "With the growth in the San Antonio region from the technology perspective to the infrastructure, SunGard felt it was......

San Antonio Business Journal by Catherine Dominguez on June 29, 2007
Second fund raises stake in life sciences
...and materials sciences companies. Investors in the local venture capital firm...scarless surgical techniques. BioSurface Engineering Technologies Inc. of College Park, Md......

San Antonio Business Journal by Catherine Dominguez on June 29, 2007
NCI buys Karta Technologies for $64.8M in cash
...Inc., a technology services company...8 million in cash, according...based in San Antonio and has......

Washington Business Journal by Neil Adler on June 28, 2007
D.C.-area defense contractor buys Karta Technologies
...contractor Karta Technologies Inc. has...government agencies. San Antonio-based Karta...employees located in over 25......

San Antonio Business Journal by Catherine Dominguez on June 28, 2007
Trinity Millennium inks alliance with Calif. technology firm
...the two companies to integrate their technologies. Trinity is a San Antonio-based software engineering company that specializes in the modernization of legacy systems. Redwood......

San Antonio Business Journal on June 25, 2007
Volunteers, recipients benefit from nonprofit's new technology
...to proprietary technology they developed...that those in need can...two in San Antonio, one in......

West Clinic invests in CellSearch System to enhance diagnoses in breast cancer
...for needles in haystacks, a...a new technology that locates...at the San Antonio Breast Cancer......


Did you know that:

Digital software developed by a San Antonio company facilitated the production of many blockbuster action films made or in the make by Hollywood?

Digital software was developed by a San Antonio company that provided the ability to create the famous 360 degree virtual tours?

Spin off technological firms spun off by an early San Antonio company called DATA POINT were the progenitors of talent and other high tech companies that created more highly marketable products?

Again, remember this is a partial list!
Someone sometime will untake a compiling of all technologies in SA for a school project and will bring to light just how much technology here in San Antonio has supplanted riveting aluminum airplane parts for the military.