Carfax, the US company that maintains a large database of information about used cars, has bought additional land next to its data center in Columbia, Mo., and plans to expand the facility. The company provides historical data about used cars to potential buyers who can look any particular vehicle up on Carfax's Web site and see whether it has been in an accident.

"It all starts with our data center," Carfax CTO Gary Lee said in a statement. "We're proud to extend our roots in Columbia, but more important, continue to support the community we've called home for a quarter century." Carfax was founded in Columbia, where it currently has two data centers, although its current headquarters is in Centreville, Va.

The company's database contains more than 8bn vehicle records. The data center on Maguire Blvd., where Carfax has bought an additional four-acre parcel of land for expansion, supports product development, data storage and maintenance.

Portion of the new parcel will be used for a new IBM technology service delivery center.