While there are clues that lead us to believe that Apple may ultimately employ such resources the folks over at Cupertino have been keeping their mouths shut about the cloud-related rumors that can become reality at any moment.

Still, if there was any doubt about the massive server farm in NYC not being able to deliver enough capacity for a possible new cloud-based iTunes service or the robust “digital lockers” we keep hearing about, there is yet another data center update. This time, Apple is toiling on the other of the country right in its very own back yard. The folks over at Data Center Knowledge have published a noteworthy new report indicating that Apple’s new data center in North Carolina isn’t the only large data center on Apple’s radar. The evidence shows that Apple has committed to leasing space, lots of space in fact, at a third party data center in Santa Clara, California. In April, Apple signed a seven-year lease for 2.28 megawatts of critical power load in a new data center being built in Santa Clara, Calif. by DuPont Fabros Technology (DFT), a leading developer of wholesale data center space.

The lease is scheduled to commence in the third quarter (July to September), when the building opens. DuPont Fabros disclosed the Santa Clara lease in its first quarter earnings, but did not reveal the name of the tenant, which is consistent with its policies. In a conference call with analysts, company executives described the tenant as a “Fortune 50 technology company with excellent credit.” But multiple industry sources have since confirmed that the tenant is Apple. If the report turns out to be accurate, the lease is scheduled to become effective in the third quarter (July To September) of this year, when the building opens.

“DuPont Fabros disclosed the Santa Clara lease in its first quarter earnings, but did not reveal the name of the tenant, which is consistent with its policies,” the DCK report found. But multiple industry sources have since confirmed that the tenant is Apple. What do you think of the whole ordeal? Apple sure is likely to come out with the cloud-based iTunes and all of this seems to be preparation for it.