Amazon on hunt for location to build a second North American headquarters

The search is on for Amazon.



The e-commerce giant is currently evaluating where it will open its second company headquarters in North America. The new office, referred to as "HQ2," will be a complete headquarters — not a satellite office. It also could have a similar layout to Amazon's Seattle campus, which employs 40,000 people, and encompasses 8.1 million sq. ft. with 33 buildings, including 24 restaurants.



Amazon expects to invest over $5 billion in HQ2’s construction, and the office will include as many as 50,000 high-paying jobs, the company said. Amazon is also giving executives the option to choose where to base their teams — in HQ2, Seattle, or split between both locations.



“We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. “Amazon HQ2 will bring billions of dollars in up-front and ongoing investments, and tens of thousands of high-paying jobs. We’re excited to find a second home.”



To choose the ideal location, Amazon does have some pre-requisites, including a metropolitan area with more than one million people, and a “stable and business-friendly environment” that can attract and retain technical talent. Amazon is open to building its campus in either an urban or suburban location, but is focused on communities that “think big and creatively” regarding real estate options.



The online giant is also considering a development-prepped site. “We want to encourage states and communities to think creatively for viable real estate options, while not negatively affecting our preferred timeline,” the company stated.



In addition to Amazon’s direct hiring and investment, construction and ongoing operation of Amazon HQ2 is expected to create “tens of thousands of additional jobs” and “tens of billions of dollars” in additional investment in the surrounding community. Based on its investments in Seattle from 2010 through 2016, the company contributed an additional $38 billion to the city’s economy, according to the company.



Amazon is accepting proposals through October 19. The company will announce its decision next year, according to the company's request for proposal (RFP).



The addition of HQ2 comes on the heels of another Amazon hub. In May, the company announced plans to open a new 60,000 sq. ft. development center in the Cambridge region of the United Kingdom this fall. The new technology hub will focus on innovations from artificial intelligence to machine learning.