SINGAPORE – Apple will spend more than US$250 million (S$340 million) to renovate and expand its regional operations centre in Ang Mo Kio.

Two buildings acquired in 2022, which are located across its main building in Ang Mo Kio Street 64, will undergo a major renovation to cater to its expanding workforce, the technology giant said in a statement on April 17.

The Straits Times understands that the move will allow Apple to add hundreds of new roles in Singapore, which is now home to 3,600 employees across the island including at its Fusionopolis office in one-north. Construction is slated to begin later in 2024.

“Singapore is truly a one-of-a-kind place, and we are proud of the connection we’ve built with this dynamic community of creators, learners and dreamers,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in the statement. “With our growing campus, Apple is writing a new chapter in our history here.”

Mr Cook was in Singapore on April 18 and visited the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Singapore School in Pasir Ris, where he spoke to radio station CNA938. He confirmed his visit on his X account, posting a video of himself with a local photographer at Gardens by the Bay. CNBC reported that he was here for the latest leg of his tour in South-east Asia as he looks to the region for expansion and sales growth amid struggles in China.

In 1981, Apple opened its first facility in the Republic with a modest team of 72 employees focused on Apple II, an early personal computer. Today, Singapore is a regional hub for critical roles in software, hardware, services and support. The country is also home to three Apple Store outlets in Orchard Road, Marina Bay Sands and Jewel Changi Airport.

Like other Apple facilities, the expanded campus will operate entirely on renewable energy, with aims to be certified Leed (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold by the US Green Building Council.

Leed is the world’s most widely used green building rating system and has four levels of certification – certified, silver, gold and platinum.

Apple first contracted for clean energy solutions in Singapore in 2015, with solar panels on 800 rooftops. It has been carbon-neutral for its corporate operations since 2020 and has run all of its facilities using 100 per cent renewable energy since 2018.