Apple’s long-anticipated campus in North Carolina is set to move forward after state officials granted the company a four-year extension to meet its hiring and investment commitments. This decision effectively restarts the timeline for the project, now aiming for significant milestones by 2027 instead of the previously established 2024.
The Economic Investment Committee, the state board responsible for approving incentives in 2021, agreed to the extension on Tuesday at Apple’s request. This new timeline allows the company to reassess its goals for the Research Triangle Park campus. According to reports from The Herald, North Carolina’s legislation, which changed in June, now permits such extensions under specific conditions. The new rules apply when an employer has at least 1,000 employees in the state and has not yet received payments from the initial incentive.
Under the revised agreement, Apple must hire 126 employees for its Research Triangle Park project by the end of 2027 to maintain eligibility for the incentives and grants. This hiring target increases to 1,719 employees by the fifth year and 2,700 employees by the tenth year. The company has stated that the workforce at this location will focus on areas such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, and software engineering.
Challenges and Changes in Timeline
The journey to establish the campus has faced numerous obstacles since Apple first acquired land in the Raleigh Research Triangle Park in 2018. Initially intended as an engineering hub and corporate operations center, the project has been hindered by repeated delays. In 2021, it was revealed that North Carolina invested substantial efforts to attract Apple, with the project requiring an expenditure of $1 billion and strict job creation goals. In exchange, Apple could receive more than $800 million in tax incentives over the next 39 years.
As of 2022, no construction had begun, prompting Apple to invest nearly $20 million in renovations for its temporary offices in the MetLife III building. While this indicated a shift in plans, it did not imply the abandonment of the project entirely.
In 2023, Apple unveiled plans for a substantial campus covering 281 acres, which would include commercial offices, a parking deck, streets, and a central utility plant. Reports from Wake County in May 2024 indicated that utility providers were prepared to assist, but Apple had not initiated active discussions regarding construction. The company had hoped to begin development by 2026.
By June 2024, Apple formally requested a suspension of its plans, seeking an extension of up to four years, as reported by The Carolina Journal. The request was ultimately granted in November 2025, allowing the company additional time to fulfill its commitments.
As Apple looks to the future, the extension provides a renewed focus on its ambitious plans for the Research Triangle Park campus, with a clear commitment to job creation and investment in the region.
