On Monday, Apple Inc. announced plans to build and operate its first ever data centers in Europe. The company will invest 1.7 billion euros ($1.93 billion) to build two data centers powered by renewable energy. The facilities will be located in Ireland and Denmark and will be used to run services such as iTunes, iMessage, Maps and Siri for the company’s European customers.

“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,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.

Apple utilizes clean energy at all of its data centers and the new facilities will also make use of renewable energy from the outset. According to Apple, its planned European data centers will have the lowest environmental impact of any of its existing facilities. The company intends to collaborate with local partners on future projects that utilize wind or other sources to produce clean energy.

“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.”

Scheduled for completion in 2017, the two data centers will each measure 166,000 square meters and are intended to benefit the community in ways not traditionally directly related to data center operations.

For the facility in Athenry, Ireland, Apple intends to reclaim land used for growing non-native trees while restoring indigenous tree to nearby Derrydonnel Forest. The development will also include outdoor education space to be used by local schools and a walking trail for the community.

The data center planned for Viborg, Denmark, will be located directly next to one of Denmark’s largest electrical substations in order to negate the requirement for extra generators. The nearby community will benefit from a system intended to collect excess heat from the facility and distribute it to homes to warm them.

Earlier this month Apple announced an $850 million investment in a California-based solar farm that will supply clean energy to its new campus, two corporate offices, a data center and 52 Apple retail stores.

Image via Apple Inc.