What happens when a new tech datacenter comes to town? It’s not just the jobs and economic development that come with it. These massive facilities can also have a big impact on the local community, both good and bad.
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The Need for Speed
The ever-growing demand for data is putting pressure on technology companies to find new and innovative ways to store and access information. Soon, the traditional paradigm of the centralized data center may no longer be able to keep up with the demand. What happens when tech datacenters come to town?
The ever-growing demand for data
The ever-growing demand for data is something that is familiar to us all. We are continuously bombarded with calls to action telling us to upgrade our internet package, buy the latest gadget, or move to a new area to get better connectivity. Every day, there are new ways for us to connect and share information, and with this comes an increased demand for speed and efficiency.
This article looks at what happens when tech datacenters come to town.
The race to build the biggest, baddest datacenter
The digital economy is booming, and with it comes a need for speed – especially when it comes to data. To keep up with the demand, tech companies are building huge datacenters all over the world.
But what exactly are datacenters? They’re giant warehouses filled with servers that store and process data. And they’re popping up in communities large and small, often without much warning or fanfare.
Why the secrecy? Part of it has to do with competitive advantage. These facilities are the backbone of the digital economy, and the companies that build them want to keep their plans and locations under wraps.
But there’s also a more practical reason for the secrecy: Datacenters require a lot of power, and that can be a tough sell to communities that are worried about their carbon footprints.
So what happens when a datacenter comes to town? It can be a mixed bag. On one hand, these facilities bring much-needed jobs and investment to communities that are often struggling economically. On the other hand, they can strain local resources and cause tensions between community members who see them as an environmental threat and those who see them as an economic opportunity.
It’s not an easy issue, but as datacenters become more prevalent – and more necessary – it’s one that we need to start grappling with.
The Land Grab
Suddenly, the sleepy town of Springfield has become the hotbed of activity as 3 different tech companies are vying for the same parcel of land to build their new datacenters. The mayor and town council are caught in the middle, trying to make the best decision for the town.
The search for the perfect plot of land
When a newdatacenter comes to town, it can often mean big changes for the local community — both good and bad. A datacenter is a large facility used to store or use electronic data, especially in the form of individual computer files. They are often located in remote or rural areas where land is cheap and there is plenty of space to build.
The search for the perfect plot of land to build a new datacenter can be intense. Companies will often scour an area for months or even years before making a decision. They are looking for a few key things:
-Proximity to existing infrastructure like roads, railways, and airports
-Access to renewable energy sources like solar and wind power
-A stable political climate
-A location that is not susceptible to natural disasters like floods or earthquakes
Once a decision has been made, the process of acquiring the land can be just as complicated. In some cases, landowners are willing to sell their property outright. However, more often than not, they are not. This can lead to tense negotiations and even legal battles.
The tech industry’s voracious appetite for land has led to some controversial “land grabs” in recent years. These are instances where companies have used their financial clout to muscle their way into communities, sometimes displacing long-time residents in the process. As the demand for datacenters continues to grow, these types of stories are likely to become more common.
The bidding wars
In the past few years, a new kind of land rush has been unfolding in rural America. It’s being driven by the big tech companies which are in a race to build massive datacenters—warehouses for storing electronic data—in locations where land and power are cheap. These datacenters use as much electricity as small towns, and their demand is growing fast. As more and more get built, the bidding wars for suitable sites are becoming intense. In some cases, the price of land has doubled or tripled.
The largest datacenters consume about 200 megawatts of power, enough to run about 200,000 homes. They cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build, and many contain more than 100,000 servers—computer processors that store data and handle requests from internet users. When they’re up and running at full capacity, these facilities can emit as much carbon dioxide as a small coal-fired power plant.
The Infrastructure
When a tech datacenter comes to town, they don’t just set up shop in any old building. They need a place that can accommodate their massive servers, which can require a lot of power and cooling. This can be a challenge for smaller towns that don’t have the infrastructure to support a datacenter. In this article, we’ll take a look at what it takes to set up a datacenter and how towns can prepare for one.
The power requirements
The massive increase in demand for data storage and processing has led to a boom in the construction of large data centers, which are often located in rural areas where land and power are relatively cheap. These data centers require a considerable amount of electricity to operate, and this has led to some concerns about the impact they may have on local power grids.
In order to understand the power requirements of data centers, it is first necessary to understand how they work. Data centers typically consist of a large number of computer servers, which are used to store and process data. The servers are connected to a network of switches and routers, which allow them to communicate with each other. The entire system is typically cooled by a series of air conditioners.
The power requirements of data centers vary depending on the size and type of facility, but they can be very large. For example, a small data center with just a few hundred servers can consume as much as 100 kilowatts of power (kW), while a large data center with tens of thousands of servers can consume megawatts (MW) of power. To put this into perspective, the average home in the united states uses about 1 kW of power, so a large data center can consume as much electricity as hundreds or even thousands of homes.
Data centers typically use around 2% of their total power for cooling, which means that the majority of their power usage is for operating the servers. The largest portion of server power usage is for the central processing units (CPUs), which perform the actual calculations. CPUs typically use between 50-100 watts (W) each, so a data center with 10,000 servers could be using 500-1,000 kW just for its CPUs. In addition to CPU usage, other factors such as host bus adapters (HBAs), storage systems, and networking equipment also contribute to a data center’s overall power usage.
While most homes use alternating current (AC) electricity at 120 volts (V), larger commercial and industrial facilities often use three-phase AC electricity at 240V or more. Data centers typically use three-phase AC at 480V because it delivers more power with less loss than lower voltages. For example, a data center with 10 MW of IT load could be using around 25 MW of total power when factoring in cooling and other support systems
The cooling requirements
Technology companies require a lot of energy to run their businesses, and that has traditionally meant data centers located near sources of cheap electricity.
Now, however, as the industry seeks to become more sustainable, tech companies are turning to alternative sources of energy, including renewable energy. But even with renewable energy, data centers have high cooling requirements that can tax the local power grid.
That’s one reason why tech companies are increasingly looking to locate their data centers in cooler climates, where the temperature can be used to help cool the servers. Iceland has become a popular destination for data centers, for example, because of its cool climate and access to renewable energy.
The Jobs
The first thing that happens is the area starts to gentrify. The second thing that happens is the cost of living in the area goes up. The third thing that happens is the area becomes a hotbed for tech jobs.
The high-paying jobs
When a new tech datacenter comes to town, it brings with it high-paying jobs. The median salary for a datacenter worker is $85,000, which is nearly double the median salary for all other workers in the United States. In addition to the high salaries, datacenter workers also receive generous benefits packages. These benefits can include health insurance, paid vacation days, and retirement plans.
The jobs at a tech datacenter are not just high-paying, but they are also stable and secure. Datacenters tend to be located in areas with low unemployment rates and little crime. This makes them an attractive option for workers who are looking for a stable career.
Datacenters also bring other economic benefits to their communities. They often purchase goods and services from local businesses, which helps to support the local economy. In addition, datacenters often host events that bring people from out of town to the community. This can help to boost tourism and generate revenue for local businesses.
The ancillary jobs
The ancillary jobs are the ones that are created as a result of the construction of the datacenter and its related infrastructure. These are the jobs that will be available during the construction phase of the project and will generally disappear once the datacenter is up and running. Examples of ancillary jobs include construction workers, electricians, plumbers, and so on.
The Economic Impact
The construction of a new tech datacenter can have a significant economic impact on a community. Jobs are created during the construction phase, and once the datacenter is operational, there is a need for support staff such as security, maintenance, and janitorial. In addition, the datacenter will likely use local vendors for supplies and services.
The tax revenue
Incentives offered by state and local governments have been a major factor in the siting of new data centers. State and local government officials often see data centers as a way to generate new jobs and tax revenue, as well as stimulate investment in ancillary development such as hotels, office space, and restaurants.
The most direct economic benefit of data centers is the generation of tax revenue from the facility itself and from the workers employed there. A large data center can require hundreds of megawatts of power and may occupy several hundred thousand square feet or more of space. The value of the real estate and personal property within the data center can be substantial, leading to sizable annual tax payments to the locality where the facility is located. In addition, most data centers employ a small workforce relative to the size of the facility. Typical staffing levels at large data centers range from several dozen workers at newly constructed facilities to a few hundred workers at more established centers
The influx of money
The arrival of a new tech datacenter can have a major economic impact on a community. The influx of money can lead to new jobs and businesses, as well as an increase in property values. However, it can also cause problems for residents who can no longer afford to live in their homes or who find themselves competing for jobs with newcomers.
