Amazon.com Inc said on Thursday it plans to open another headquarters in North America and spend more than $5 billion for its construction and operation.

The e-commerce company, currently based in Seattle, said it was yet to zero in on a location, but expects to expand the new headquarters to include up to 50,000 high-paying jobs.

The company gave few hints about where it would land, but did say it is looking at metropolitan areas with populations of more than a million that have the potential to attract top technical talent.

Amazon also said it was seeking proposals from local and state government leaders for the new headquarters.

The announcement is certain to create a scramble among cities and states vying to make the short list. The company estimates that investments in Seattle between 2010 and 2016 added $38 billion to the city's economy.

There are 24 restaurants and cafes within Amazon's Seattle campus alone, where more than 20,000 people are employed. The increase in personal income around the Seattle headquarters for people not employed by Amazon increased by about $17 billion due to direct investments, according to the company.

Amazon expects the new headquarters to be a "full equal" to its Seattle office, Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said in a statement.