A data center (American English) or data centre (British English) is a building, a dedicated space within a building, or a group of buildings used to house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications and storage systems. A data center’s design is based on a network of computing and storage resources that enable the delivery of shared applications and data. The key components of a data center design include routers, switches, firewalls, storage systems, servers, and application-delivery controllers.
But how does it look inside a data center? Here are some data center tour videos to watch.
Over 200,000 Servers in One Place! Visiting Hetzner in Falkenstein (Germany)
Microsoft reveals its MASSIVE data center (Full Tour)
Inside Amazon’s Massive Data Center
Facebook’s largest Data Center you never seen
Inside Google’s $13 Billion Data Centers
Links to more videos:
Facebook Data Center – Fort Worth
Google Data Center Security: 6 Layers Deep
Inside The World’s Largest Data Center
A Fun Data Center Tour at PhoenixNAP
A DAY in the LIFE of the DATA CENTRE | NETWORK TOUR with ASH & JAMES!
A DAY in the LIFE of the DATA CENTRE | FULL CUSTOMER “RACK & STACK” with ASH & JAMES!
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Justine Calma / The Verge:
Microsoft sets a goal of reducing data center water consumption by 95% by 2024, building on broader 2030 climate commitments
Microsoft ramps up plans to make its data centers less thirsty
https://www.theverge.com/2021/10/27/22747394/microsoft-data-centers-water-drought-climate-change-energy-emissions?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4
It’s turning to new technology to cool servers without using water
Microsoft ramped up its commitments today to conserve water and energy in its data centers, laying out new cooling tech and strategies that could push notoriously thirsty and energy hungry servers past their current limits. The company’s latest environmental pledge comes as it plans to dramatically expand the number of data centers it operates around the world, a move that could put more stress on drought-stricken communities unless the company finds ways to use less water.
Microsoft plans to slash the amount of water its data centers use by 95 percent by 2024, with the goal of “eventually” eliminating water use. That builds on a commitment it made last year to become “water positive” by the end of the decade, meaning it would replenish more water than it uses for its operations. In 2020, Microsoft also committed to becoming carbon negative by the same deadline, meaning it plans to draw down and store more planet-heating CO2 than it releases.
Microsoft also announced other sustainability efforts today that could lower greenhouse gas emissions inside and outside the company.
A typical data center uses about as much water as a city with a population of about 30,000 to 40,000 people, or about 3 to 5 million gallons of water a day, says Venkatesh Uddameri, professor and director of the Water Resources Center at Texas Tech University. Microsoft tells The Verge that its data centers use less water than that, although it varies across different regions and climates.
Microsoft’s data centers currently use adiabatic cooling, which relies on outside air to cool down temperatures inside. It’s a system that uses less electricity than air conditioning and less water than cooling towers. But when temperatures rise above 85 degrees Celsius, outside air isn’t very helpful. At that point, an evaporative cooling system kicks in, which uses water. It works like a “swamp cooler” — cooling the air by pushing it over or through water-soaked screens.
Microsoft today revealed two main strategies it plans to lean on to meet its water conservation goals. First: it researched how its servers perform under higher temperatures, and found that it can set higher limits for when the centers’ evaporative cooling systems kick in. In cooler parts of the world — including Amsterdam, Dublin, Virginia, and Chicago — those higher set points could, over the next few years, get rid of the need for water completely.
But Microsoft’s data centers in desert regions, where water scarcity is a bigger problem, will likely continue to guzzle water for years longer. Microsoft says the same strategy that might eliminate water use in Amsterdam and Dublin would only reduce water consumption in desert regions by as much as 60 percent by 2024.
That’s where the second part of Microsoft’s plan comes in. To get its water footprint down to zero in those hot and dry climates, Microsoft plans to turn to a new way to cool servers: submerging them in fluorocarbon-based liquid baths. As the servers work away, the heat they generate causes the liquid to boil when it reaches 122 degrees Fahrenheit (50 degrees Celsius). The boiling liquid moves heat away from the servers and then turns into a vapor that rises. The vapor hits a cooled tank lid, condenses, and rains back into the tub. The process, called two-phase liquid immersion, creates a closed-loop cooling system that cuts down on water and electricity use while getting rid of heat. It’s a strategy that the company says was inspired by cryptocurrency miners, who also use huge amounts of energy and have turned to liquid immersion cooling for computing equipment.
Tomi Engdahl says:
HOW TO BUILD A DATA CENTRE – Introduction – Episode 1 (NEW DA2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsJ6Bn2NHr4
Tomi Engdahl says:
HOW TO BUILD A DATA CENTRE – Introduction – Episode 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWKeFeFSI3k
Tomi Engdahl says:
Inside Herzner data center
https://fb.watch/aVd6urLzYQ/
https://fb.watch/aVdazrNodj/
Tomi Engdahl says:
OVHcloud datacenter ‘lacked’ automatic fire extinguishers and electrical cutoff https://www.theregister.com/2022/03/22/ovhcloud_fire_datacenter/
The OVHcloud datacenter in Strasbourg, France, that was destroyed in a fire last year had no automatic fire extinguisher system nor an electrical cutoff mechanism, according to a report from the Bas-Rhin fire service. It describes several issues that contributed to the destructiveness of the blaze, including the presence of toxic fumes from lead batteries, a wooden ceiling rated to resist fire for only an hour, and two inner courtyards that acted as “fire chimneys.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.corning.com/data-center/worldwide/en/home/knowledge-center/multitenant-data-centers-are-key-to-managing-data-without-breaking-the-bank.html?utm_source=Personifi&utm_medium=Advertising&utm_content=multi-tenant-data-center-knowledge-center&utm_campaign=dc-mtdc
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hyperscale Data Installation Race
A side-by-side comparison of preterminated and spliced fiber optic cabling solutions
https://www.corning.com/data-center/worldwide/en/home/knowledge-center/hyperscale-data-center-installation-race.html?utm_source=Personifi&utm_medium=Advertising&utm_content=edge-rapid-connect-case-study&utm_campaign=dc-h4
Tomi Engdahl says:
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
AWS details updates to its data centers, including liquid cooling for AI servers, more simplified electrical and mechanical designs for server racks, and more
AWS bets on liquid cooling for its AI servers
https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/02/aws-bets-on-liquid-cooling-for-its-ai-servers/