Vacant chip factory could become a new data center
A former chip factory in Eugene Oregon could become a data center after a $20 million property auction, according to a report by Oregon TV station KEZI.
The 1.2 million sq ft (111,000 sq m) semiconductor factory, formerly owned by South Korean RAM chip maker Hynix, has been closed since 2008, but has now been sold in an auction. According to the TV station, the buyer appears to be a data center firm called True Data Center.
The buyer’s name won’t be released until escrow has been completed, but True Data Centers placed a picture of the Hynix factory on its website, labeled Eugene Oregon Technology Center, according to a report by Oregon Live on October 20. The next day the only information on the True website about any data center facilities is an invitation to apply for information under an NDA.
The TV station identifies Simon Tusha as the chairman of True Data Centers, based on his LinkedIn profile. According to the LinkedIn profile True Data Centers “develops and operates, global leading energy efficient data centers. Currently working on projects in Florida, Oregon, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, SE ASIA and EMEA.” Mr. Tusha’s profile also says that he is currently transforming “a former semiconductor manufacturing facility in Eugene, Oregon into a mega multi-tenant data center comprising of over 1 million square feet.” It also states that the project is well underway and suggests that he can be contacted for tours of the site.
In 2012, Real Property Investors, a Seattle based firm, reached a tentative agreement to buy the property and Mr. Tusha was apparently the technology consultant on that project, which was never completed, according to multiple stories on the Oregon Live website.
The KEZI-TV news story reported that the actual buyer information on the property will not be available until the transaction has completed and the property is no longer in escrow.
