Dive Brief:
-
Electric car maker Tesla has started construction on the world’s largest lithium battery factory in the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center, located about 20 miles outside of Reno.
-
In the same industrial park, Las Vegas-based computing giant Switch is planning to build a 3 million-square-foot data center that reportedly will use fiber optic cable to connect its storage sites in Reno and Las Vegas with its future facilities in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
-
The price tag for Tesla’s "Gigafactory" is $5 billion, while Switch’s project is projected to cost $1 billion.
Dive Insight:
Nevada has offered substantial tax incentives to big businesses to move to the state, which is trying to diversify its economy to include more than tourism and gambling. The state is courting businesses that specialize in cyber security, medicine, aviation and renewable energy, among others, the San Jose Mercury-News reported.
