Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg talks Utah data center, women at work

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The latest Facebook data center will soon be up-and-running in Utah County, according to the COO of Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg.

Massive Facebook data center becomes operational next month

The $1 billion-plus facility will become the 13th Facebook data center in the country. Once complete, it will occupy around 1.5 million square feet.

In an interview with KSL NewsRadio’s Boyd Matheson, host of Inside Sources, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said the Beehive State has been an attractive partner in the company’s eyes going back years.

“We think Utah has a really growing tech center,” she said. “We’re pretty excited about our data center.”

The Deseret News reported in October that Facebook plans to invest roughly $150 million in infrastructure improvements, which includes bringing power to the 500-acre site.

In fact, Facebook won’t be the first major company to launch a data center in Utah. Twitter, eBay and the National Security Agency already have similar facilities in the state.

The importance of having women in the workforce

In addition to providing an update on the Eagle Mountain data center, Sandberg also opined on the importance of having a robust female workforce.

She said many may not realize it, but the coronavirus pandemic created a gender equality crisis. Sandberg cited statistics pointing to women losing 5.3 million jobs last year alone.

“In April of this year, 165,000 women left the workforce, and 355,000 men joined it,” she explained.

She added that only 56% of women are currently in the workforce, which Sandberg said is the lowest percentage since 1988.

Read more: One year later, COVID-19 continues to impact women at work

Sandberg is the co-founder of “Lean In,” which is a self-described global community dedicated to helping women achieve their ambitions. She’s also the author of the 2013 book “Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead.”