Data centers

Extracted Attributes

• Primary Purpose

  House critical computer systems, telecommunications, and storage equipment

• Components Housed

  Servers, storage devices, network equipment

• Key Infrastructure

  Redundant power supplies, data communication connections, environmental controls (air conditioning, fire suppression), security devices

• Impact of High Demand

  Increased strain on local electric grids, increased electricity prices

• Common Categories/Types

  Onsite data centers, colocation facilities, hyperscale data centers, edge data centers

• Colocation Center Functions

  Host private peering connections, internet transit providers, cloud providers, meet-me rooms, Internet exchange points, landing points/terminal equipment for fiber optic submarine communication cables

• Drivers of Increased Demand

  Cryptocurrency mining, artificial intelligence

• Typical Location Characteristics

  Near high-bandwidth fiber networks

• Global Electricity Consumption (2022)

  240–340 TWh (1–1.3% of global electricity demand, excluding cryptocurrency mining)

• Projected Electricity Consumption Growth (2022-2026)

  Could double

Timeline

• Data centers first emerged to house complex computer hardware like mainframes, which required significant power and cooling. (Source: web_search_results)

  1940s

• Estimated global data center electricity consumption was 240–340 TWh, representing 1–1.3% of global electricity demand (excluding cryptocurrency mining). (Source: wikipedia)

  2022

• Estimated electricity consumption for cryptocurrency mining was around 110 TWh. (Source: wikipedia)

  2022

• The IEA projects that data center electric use could double, driven by demand from cryptocurrency mining and artificial intelligence. (Source: wikipedia)

  2022-2026

• Google, Microsoft, and Amazon canceled data center projects in Indianapolis and Wisconsin due to local opposition over concerns like rising electricity prices. (Source: related_documents)

  Recent

Data center

A data center 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. Since IT operations are crucial for business continuity, it generally includes redundant or backup components and infrastructure for power supply, data communication connections, environmental controls (e.g., air conditioning, fire suppression), and various security devices. A large data center is an industrial-scale operation using as much electricity as a medium town. Estimated global data center electricity consumption in 2022 was 240–340 TWh, or roughly 1–1.3% of global electricity demand. This excludes energy used for cryptocurrency mining, which was estimated to be around 110 TWh in 2022, or another 0.4% of global electricity demand. The IEA projects that data center electric use could double between 2022 and 2026. High demand for electricity from data centers, including by cryptomining and artificial intelligence, has also increased strain on local electric grids and increased electricity prices in some markets. Data centers can vary widely in terms of size, power requirements, redundancy, and overall structure. Four common categories used to segment types of data centers are onsite data centers, colocation facilities, hyperscale data centers, and edge data centers. In particular, colocation centers often host private peering connections between their customers, internet transit providers, cloud providers, meet-me rooms for connecting customers together Internet exchange points, and landing points and terminal equipment for fiber optic submarine communication cables, connecting the internet.

Web Search Results

• Data Centers 101: A Beginner's Guide To Understanding Core ...

  Data centers are facilities equipped with computing and networking resources for storing, processing, and managing digital data. Generally, the term “data center” refers to a centralized facility designed to cope with significant volumes of data and advanced data processing. [...] Data processing: Data centers provide the computational power necessary for processing and analyzing data. Through high-performance servers, parallel processing techniques, and distributed computing frameworks, they enable efficient data processing for tasks such as analytics, machine learning, and real-time decision-making. [...] Data storage: Data centers serve as repositories for digital data. They utilize various storage technologies such as hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), and cloud storage solutions to accommodate diverse data types and workloads.

• What is a data center? - McKinsey

  Data centers are specialized facilities that manage IT infrastructure, including servers, storage devices, and network equipment. They play a critical role in processing, storing, and distributing large amounts of data, making them essential to gen AI and the rest of the digital economy. [...] # What is a data center? | Article A data center is a facility that houses and runs IT infrastructure that’s critical to the digital economy, particularly gen AI. Five dark gray commercial server racks illuminated with blue lights. The central rack has its front door open, revealing the hardware inside. (9 pages) [...] IT equipment. Data centers host servers, storage devices, and network devices that handle data processing, storage, and transmissions needs. Infrastructure and utilities. Data centers are equipped with air-conditioning, redundant electricity systems, and electricity conditioning to ensure uninterrupted operations. Connectivity. Data centers are typically located near high-bandwidth fiber networks that enable low-cost, high-speed data exchange.

• What is a Data Center? Meaning, Definition, Operations & Types

  A modern data center is a facility that manages and stores data and applications. It uses both physical infrastructure and virtual technologies. These help distribute data across different environments, including on-premises systems, edge locations, and cloud platforms. [...] Data centers centralize organizations’ IT operations and equipment to ensure a secure location for storing, sharing, and managing vast amounts of data. They provide businesses with flexibility in how they view, back up and store their data, as well as protecting it from natural and man-made disasters. Data centers receive, store, and send data to support critical business applications and power data-intense services such as: [...] ## What Is a Data Center? Definition A data center is a centralized physical facility that stores businesses’ critical applications and data. A common data center definition is a location where computing and networking equipment is used to collect, process, and store data, as well as to distribute and enable access to resources. ### The growing role of data

• What Is a Data Center? - IBM

  # What is a data center? ## Authors Stephanie Susnjara Staff Writer IBM Think Ian Smalley Staff Editor IBM Think ## What is a data center? A data center is a physical room, building or facility that houses IT infrastructure for building, running and delivering applications and services. It also stores and manages the data associated with those applications and services.

• What is a Data Center? - Cloud Data Center Explained - AWS

  A data center is a physical location that stores computing machines and their related hardware equipment. It contains the computing infrastructure that IT systems require, such as servers, data storage drives, and network equipment. It is the physical facility that stores any company’s digital data. ## Why are data centers important? [...] Data centers first emerged in the early 1940s, when computer hardware was complex to operate and maintain. Early computer systems required many large components that operators had to connect with many cables. They also consumed a large amount of power and required cooling to prevent overheating. To manage these computers, called mainframes, companies typically placed all the hardware in a single room, called a data center. Every company invested in and maintained its own data center facility. [...] On-premises data centers are fully owned company data centers that store sensitive data and critical applications for that company. You set up the data center, manage its ongoing operations, and purchase and maintain the equipment. Benefits: An enterprise data center can give better security because you manage risks internally. You can customize the data center to meet your requirements.