Sign up for a new account or log in here:
Facebook will be building a massive server farm just 62 miles south of the Arctic Circle in Luleå, northern Sweden. The facility will include three 300,000 square feet server halls, according to the Washington Post.
This will be the first time that Facebook has built a data center outside of the US, which has become a trend for large American companies as of late. In 2007, Microsoft looked to build a server farm in Siberia but the deal was never finalized. Google is currently building a similar data center in Hamima in southern Finland.
Key to Facebook choosing Luleå is the cold climate. A large server farm requires massive amounts of cold air to keep operating temperatures down. The average temperature in the area is around 2C (35.6F) and the temperature has not been above 30C (86F) for more than 24 hours since 1961. The plan is to pump in cool air from outside to aid in temperature management.
Despite the ability to use natural cool air, the server farm will still require a lot of power; 120 MW to be exact. This will primarily be supplied by the Lule River which produces twice as much hydroelectric power as the Hoover Dam. The reliability of the local power grid didn’t hurt matters, either.
Facebook Director of Site Operations Tom Furlong is overseeing the project and was responsible for selecting the site among more than 40 other locations. Facebook users in Europe and surrounding areas should expect a performance boost once the new data center goes online in 2014.
User Comments: 29
Got something to say? Post a comment-
jonny702 said:Guest said:
YAY! Huge server farm. Lets not forget the huge ecosystem impact, pollution and environment disruption they will cause and ruin when they build their massive piece of garbage on the river.
And,.....for what......a "faster" experience for facebook users?
This **** MAKES ME SICK!
They are using cold air from outside and most of the power is coming from an eco-friendly hydro turbine facility.... I think on the contrary they are actually being pretty good to the "delicate ecosystem". So... what pollution are you refering to?
Where does it say there was a list of 40 sites? Even the Washington Post article doesn't say anything about 40 sites. So yes I did read, I guess you were inventing stuff?Yes I've been to Alaska, on a nice cruise from Seattle. And depending on where you are in Alaska, temperatures in the summer can vary quite a bit. And I did admit that I have no idea if Alaska has hydroelectric facilities to supply cheap clean energy.
Please read the last paragraph or the article
Sunny87 said:This sounds like a great idea but there is going to be an increase in people traffic with which will come an increase in cars and inevitably c02 emissions and the need for more concrete and lets not forget the site will need to be builders site for a while and thus pumping out diesel fumes everywhere. It really doesn't seem worth if for a free service that may one day end just for Facebook this is a waste of time and WILL wether or not people chose to believe it increase c02 emissions in the area thus nature taking another blow but this time for a pointless service.
Environmentalism in itself does not bother me, but the lack of intelligence with which it is often presented does. Earth is full of carbon based life forms, Carbon Dioxide or CO2, is required on our earth, it is used by trees and plants during photosynthesis. Perhaps we should go out and start offing people who exhale CO2 to save the environement? I can understand the toxic emmisions from vehicles causing you concern but please, check your science before complaining about about a gas that is imperative to the survival of the earth.
That said, once the server farm is built, these things don't require a huge staff to maintain.
Okay so at what point does that attitude towards it end? Are you aware that people had the same attitude towards logging once and unfortunately Americans and the UK still do, and look what damage has been done there.
-
VitalyT said:
I'd move them all to the northern pole, and leave them be there, tweet with seals, bears, to cool down and give the world a break from the viral plague they invented...
-
VitalyT said:
With the load of bullshit as big to process, I fear it will melt the northern glacier.
-
"Lol its just so facebook can stay out of US jurisdiction when stealing all of your cookies"
sad thing is..we all know its true.
Most Popular
| Trending | Featured |
Subscribe to TechSpot
Get free exclusive content, learn about new features and breaking tech news.