Microsoft is planning to expand operations in Fargo, North Dakota, which could mean hundreds of new jobs in the area, reports say.

A Microsoft official confirmed to the Fargo Forum it is adding new employees and upgrading facilities at its Fargo campus as the company expands its marketing and sales capabilities in the United States.

The new U.S. regional Marketing and Sales Center in Fargo is described as a "new state-of-the-art sales center" on the company's careers website.

Microsoft is hoping to promote its cloud services business, picking its Fargo campus to do so, the Greater Fargo Moorhead Development Corp. told the Forum.

Sources say the company could be hiring up to 200 people in Fargo, the publication notes, although Microsoft would not confirm this.

The Microsoft Fargo Facebook page has a post telling people to "check out these new opportunities in our marketing and sales center," with a link to open jobs that include positions in sales development, technical solutions, technical sales managers, and inside opportunity representatives.

This new hiring effort comes less than a year after Microsoft laid off more than 2,000 people worldwide, including some layoffs at the Fargo campus, KVRR reports.

Microsoft remains a major employer in the Fargo-Moorhead area, where it's had a big presence since the company acquired Great Plains Software back in 2000, the Business Journal notes.