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The world's largest business software company, Oracle, is building a new facility in West Jordan. Various dignitaries and Oracle executives took part on the groundbreaking ceremonies this afternoon.
With the ceremonial shovels of dirt, construction on Oracle's new Utah Compute Facility, or UCF, is underway. When it's completed in 2010, the building will measure 179,000 square feet and employ about 100 people.
"This facility will not only meet the needs of 84,000 employees and 20,000 developers around the world, but also the increasing customer base," said Mark Sunday, chief spokesman for Oracle.
Located just off the Old Bingham Highway near 6000 West, the UCF facility will be Oracle's latest business computer operations center, serving customers in 145 countries.
"The software they're running will be running here, even though they will be all over the country or the world. But it'll be running from Utah," said Safra Catz, president of Oracle.
When completed, the West Jordan facility will become Oracle's second data storage center and will resemble a center that's been operating in Austin, Texas, for a number of years.
For the state of Utah, it represents a capitol investment of $285 million, and it sends a big message to other companies.
"There's a multiplayer effect, in real terms, but also in perception. Because when people see that you're here, they want to be here too," Gov. Jon Huntsman said.
In keeping with Oracle's mission, the new building will not only be state of the art, but very "green" as well.
"We're going to be using as many recycled materials as possible during the construction," Sunday said.
Oracle already employs about 200 people in Utah. This facility will add to that.
Today, company executives hinted that in the future, the facility could be expanded, bringing even more jobs to the state.
E-mail: kmccord@ksl.com
