Facebook plans new data center:cloud hub

Facebook plans to open a new data center in Ireland, the social network said on Monday, becoming the latest technology giant to set up an energy efficient center in Ireland's recovering economy.

Facebook said it had applied for planning permission to build the center, which, after Sweden, is its second in Europe for housing computers that run cloud computing services, where users store data on secure servers instead of their own network or computer.

Ireland is fast becoming a cloud hub helped by its temperate climate and the presence of many of the biggest internet companies, which have been attracted by the country's low corporate tax rate.

Apple Inc said in February that it would spend 1.7 billion euros on two new data centers in Ireland and Denmark, its largest investment in Europe.

Google and Microsoft also have opened Irish date centers in recent years.

Microsoft is currently fighting a legal battle with the U.S. government over its demand that the software company turn over customer data stored in its Irish data center.