Rumour: Apple is delaying its plans for an East Coast campus by four years

• Apple has reportedly paused plans for its new hub at Research Triangle Park
• The project was estimated to lead to more than 2,700 new jobs when completed

Apple has paused its plans for an East Coast campus at Research Triangle Park, according to rumours reported by ABC11.

The hub has already been three years in planning and in that time Apple has created many new jobs North Carolina, having expanded its team by more than 600 people in the capital city, Raleigh. In total, the project is estimated to create over 2,700 new jobs in the area, including at new startups likely to spring up as a result.

But the full potential that this hub could bring to the jobs market is now - according to rumours - being delayed, with Apple wanting to push back its incentive deal by four years.

Time to ripen

While this planned expansion is reportedly on hold, Apple, of course, still has its huge Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, itself an expansion of their nearby Infinite Loop facility. Not all talent can live and work near the famous, circular Californian headquarters however, hence the intended expansion to North Carolina.

However, that doesn’t mean plans for the East Coast hub have been scrapped, and certainly doesn’t mean Apple can’t afford to continue apace were this to once more become a priority. The tech titan generated $90.75 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2024 alone.

Rather, development is believed to be paused, not cancelled. The company told ABC11: "Apple has been operating in North Carolina for over two decades, and we're deeply committed to growing our teams here. In the last three years, we've added more than 600 people to our team in Raleigh, and we're looking forward to developing our new campus in the coming years."

Apple first announced the $1 billion campus in 2021 when the games industry was expanding through a pandemic-based boom that saw investments and hiring abound, but in the post-pandemic landscape, "restructuring" and layoffs have become the new names of the game.

While post-pandemic cutbacks and layoffs haven’t hit Apple as hard as tech companies such as Google, the decision to pause the new campus’ development and further subsequent hires, doesn’t come as a surprise.

In fact, the campus is believed to have been in a holding pattern since May 2024 - one month after Apple laid off 600 workers in California, according to AP News.

The giant is also currently facing another legal battle as the EU's DMA aims to take a bite out of Apple's post-DMA profits.