Apple to invest €1.7bn in renewables-powered European data centres

'We're thrilled to be expanding our operations,' said Apple CEO Tim Cook

Apple has unveiled plans to invest €1.7bn in two new data centres in Europe that will run completely on renewable energy.

The two facilities, in Galway, Ireland, and the Danish Jutland peninsula will be used to power Apple's online services across Europe. Those services include iTunes, iMessage, Maps and Siri for iPhone and iPad. The two data centres are expected to begin operating in 2017.

"We are grateful for Apple's continued success in Europe and proud that our investment supports communities across the continent," said Apple CEO Tim Cook.

"This significant new investment represents Apple's biggest project in Europe to date. We're thrilled to be expanding our operations, creating hundreds of local jobs and introducing some of our most advanced green building designs yet," he added.

According to the company, the new European units "will have the lowest environmental impact yet for an Apple data centre".

"We believe that innovation is about leaving the world better than we found it, and that the time for tackling climate change is now," said Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of environmental initiatives.

"We're excited to spur green industry growth in Ireland and Denmark and develop energy systems that take advantage of their strong wind resources. Our commitment to environmental responsibility is good for the planet, good for our business and good for the European economy," she added.

Last month, Apple posted the biggest quarterly profits of any company ever, following a surge in sales of both new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices, as well as sales to consumers in China, the world's biggest market.

But while iPhones remain popular smartphones among consumers, Richard Burley, CIO of Combat Stress, the leading charity for British military veterans' mental health, recently told Computing that he's unable to make an enterprise case for iPhone.

"For the price and functionality of core email and a little bit of collaboration, Android provides all that and I can get four of them for the price of an Apple iPhone," he said.