November 26, 2025 – Apple’s long – delayed new campus project in North Carolina has finally seen a breakthrough, as reported by tech media outlet Appleinsider yesterday (November 25). The North Carolina state government has officially approved Apple’s application for an extension, pushing back the start time of the originally planned incentive program by four years, thus injecting new vitality into this $1 – billion project.
According to the new agreement approved by the state’s Economic Investment Committee on Tuesday, the “first year” for the project’s assessment has been reset from the originally scheduled 2024 to 2027. This adjustment was made possible thanks to a state law revised in June this year. The new regulation allows “transformational projects” that already have more than 1,000 employees in the state but haven’t yet received incentive payments to redesign their plans.
As introduced in the blog post, the new incentive plan sets clear step – by – step hiring targets for Apple. To maintain its eligibility, the company needs to hire at least 126 employees for its Research Triangle Park project by the end of 2027.
Subsequently, this number will increase year by year. It is required to reach 1,719 employees by the end of the fifth year and complete the final hiring target of 2,700 employees by the end of the tenth year. In return, Apple is expected to receive a substantial tax break of over $800 million over the next 39 years.
Apple officials stated that this new campus will serve as a crucial base for its technological research and development, with a strong focus on areas such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, software engineering, and other cutting – edge technologies. Since its initial announcement in 2018, the project has encountered numerous setbacks and has long fallen behind the original schedule. Although Apple spent nearly $20 million on renovating its temporary office in the area in 2022, it didn’t give up on its long – term plan to build a permanent campus.
By May 2024, there were still no signs of substantial construction starting on the project, and there were even reports that Apple’s communication with local utility companies had stalled.
However, with the final approval of the extension application in November 2025, this massive campus project, covering an area of 281 acres and planned to include office buildings, parking lots, and central facilities, has finally cleared the obstacles. It is expected to start construction as early as 2026.
