Apple has officially started operating in your first data center in China more than three years after he began building the facility to store customer data within the country's borders.
The data center, located in the southwest province of Guizhou, began operating this week, according to local newspapers. The data center will be operated by Guizhou-Cloud Big Data (GCBD) and will be used to store iCloud data from Chinese customers nationwide. According to the state media XinhuaNet, the data center "will improve the experience of Chinese users in terms of access speed and service reliability."
Apple is also planning a second data center in the city of Ulanqab in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In 2016, the Chinese government passed a new cybersecurity law that would force Apple to store customer data on local servers. The following year, Apple signed an agreement with the Guizhou government to begin setting up its first data center in the country.
US regulations prohibit Apple from releasing data to Chinese authorities. However, as part of its agreements in the country, GCBD is the legal owner of Apple iCloud data in China. That allows the Chinese authorities to demand data from the telco, rather than from Apple.
What is said in English a Win-Win. They both win. China and Apple. The first with the storage of data locally and achieving faster access. Apple strengthening ties with the superpower and also by having the data in that environment and closer to the users, it gains in ease and reduces costs. Whatever you look at, you always win on this play.
