Server farms as power suckers

Michael Pollak mpollak at panix.com
Sun Apr 8 03:46:40 PDT 2001


April 8, 2001

There's Money in Housing Internet Servers

By JAYSON BLAIR

A lthough the Internet money machine that drove New York City's real

estate market has nearly ground to a halt, one obscure corner of the

industry is booming: the development of huge, air-conditioned spaces

to house computers and other electronics for companies that use the

Internet.

Known as telecommunications hotels, server farms or data centers,

these warehouses for computers, operating 24 hours a day, are also

huge power guzzlers.

Developers are planning more than 46 of them in New York City and

Westchester County over the next four years, according to Consolidated

Edison. Dozens of similar projects are planned for the New Jersey and

Connecticut suburbs, according to real estate firms and power

companies.

But while the explosive demand is good news for an industry that needs

some lately, it is alarming to some others most notably to energy

providers. Con Edison officials say that the growth of server farms in

coming years could contribute to already-looming power capacity

difficulties in the New York region.

A single low-rise installation planned for the South Bronx would draw

180 megawatts all by itself when it is operating at its peak. By

comparison, the World Trade Center, with its twin 100-story towers and

underground shopping mall, draws 87 megawatts.

Complete article: http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/08/technology/08TELE.html?pagewanted=print

__________________________________________________________________________ Michael Pollak................New York City..............mpollak at panix.com



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