Amazon Web Services Inc. is opening a cloud hub with capacity for more than 600 employees in Redmond, Washington, home to Microsoft Corp.’s global headquarters.

AWS and parent Amazon.com Inc. have been rapidly adding employees globally to support revenue growth. The company currently employs nearly a million people worldwide, including tens of thousands in its multibuilding Seattle headquarters. Redmond is a 20-minute drive away to the northeast.

The 111,000-square-foot cloud hub (rendering pictured) will host engineering and other technology teams focused on supporting AWS’ database services. The office is located in Redmond Town Center, a mixed-used shopping mall situated about three miles from Microsoft’s headquarters. Redmond Town Center also houses a Microsoft satellite office.

“Our new Redmond office is part of our plan to continue growing and creating jobs in the Puget Sound region,” said John Schoettler, Amazon’s vice president of global real estate and facilities. “In addition to Redmond’s strong existing talent pool and close access to our Seattle and Bellevue locations, these new facilities will also provide more flexible work options for employees, allowing us to continue our sustainable growth in the region for years to come.”

AWS parent Amazon previously announced plans for another Redmond engineering office that will serve as the main development hub of Project Kuiper, its budding satellite operation. The company is aiming to put more than 3,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit to provide internet services worldwide. Amazon has said the objective behind the initiative is to bring connectivity to “tens of millions of people” worldwide who currently lack web access.

The Puget Sound region of Washington that includes Seattle and Redmond is currently home to more than 50,000 Amazon workers. The next major phase of the company’s expansion in the area is set to focus on nearby Bellevue, where the company plans to increase its workforce more than sevenfold to more than 15,000 people.

Microsoft, in turn, is working on a major development of its own in the area. The company launched a multibillion-dollar overhaul of its Redmond headquarters in 2017 that’s set to add 2.5 million square feet of offices spaces across 18 new buildings, plus a two-acre plaza with seats for 12,000 people. 

Image: Amazon