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IBM Deal Is Latest Project for Austin Market
IBM will build a 36,000-square-foot data center in Austin by June 2007 as part of an $863 million contract to consolidate information technology operations at 27 state agencies, state officials said Tuesday. Most of the media coverage of IBM's customer win has focused on the enormous size of the project. But it also underscores the emergence of the Austin area as a white-hot market for data center development.
Here's a summary of data center projects either proposed or finalized in 2006:
- Hewlett-Packard is building two large facilities in Austin as part of its huge data center consolidation project.consolidation.
- Zydeco Development announced plans for a 350 acre data center park in Austin.
- Digital Realty Trust bought two properties at Met Center Business Park in Austin, near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. One is a fully-leased 45,000 square feet data center, and the other is a 75,000 SF empty facility slated for redevelopment.
- Microsoft began scouting sites in both Austin and San Antonio for a $600 million mega-data center.
- Citicorp is looking at sites in the Austin area for a $475 million data center project.
November 30, 2006
Telehouse Reports Growth in NYC, LA
Colocation provider Telehouse announced that it has seen "double-digit growth" in both members and traffic at its Internet exchanges in New York and Los Angeles. The number of companies peering at the The New York International Internet Exchange (NYIIX) at 25 Broadway rose from 73 to 92 companies (26 percent) in the period between October 2005 and September 2006, Telehouse said. Membership at the L.A. peering exchange at 626 Wilshire Boulevard grew from 26 to 37 companies (up 42 percent).
Bandwidth upgrades helped fuel growth in peak traffi volume at both exchanges, Telehouse said. The NYIIX's peak traffic volume went from 10.8Gbps to 19.4Gbps, while LAIIX peak traffic scaled from 1.0Gbps to 3.3Gbps. Telehouse attributed the gains to focused efforts begun in 2004 by the sales, marketing and Internet engineering teams.
"We anticipated the traffic volume trends driven by the media, entertainment, financial, legal, government and health sectors. NYIIX and LAIIX were ready to handle the demand," said Akio Sugeno, the director of IP engineering at TELEHOUSE America.
Posted by Rich Miller 
November 30, 2006 | Permalink | Newsletter
November 29, 2006
HP Demos Dynamic Smart Cooling
For most data centers, the primary cooling challenge isn't the volume of chilled air, but getting that chilled air to the place where it's needed most. Hewlett Packard today offered journalists a look at its Dynamic Smart Cooling technology, which is designed to provide more precise targeting of air-conditioning systems in response to changes in server temperatures. The system deploys sensors throughout the data center, which communicate with the AC systems. The "smart" piece is the system's use of computational fluid dynamics to understand the flow of air within the data center and route the cold air to the hot server.
HP says the approach can cut cooling costs by 20 to 45 percent as it turns AC systems on or off as temperatures rise and fall. In a demonstration at HP Labs in Palo Alto, Calif., journalists saw power usage in an adjacent data center decrease from 117 kilowatts to 72 kilowatts as the DSC system took charge. The system has been in development for three and a half years, but will be available by mid-2007, according to HP, which is implementing the system in its own new data centers as it consolidates its infrastructure.
"DSC solves a big problem the IT industry has been struggling with for quite some time," said Peter Gross, chief executive officer and chief technology officer, EYP Mission Critical Facilities, Inc. "DSC not only dramatically improves the energy performance of cooling systems in data centers but also delivers improvements in overall data center reliability. It is the first step toward the ultimate goal of this industry – fully integrated and optimized data centers that bridge the gap between facilities and IT domains.”
Posted by Rich Miller November 29, 2006 | Permalink | Newsletter
Internap Speeds Delivery of PopCap Games
PopCap Games Inc., which runs a major Internet casual gaming platform, is now using Internap Network Services (INAP) to deliver faster page loads and response times for its free game downloads. By colocating its game servers in Internap's Seattle data center and connecting to its Private Network Access Point (P-NAP), PopCap has improved its bandwidth performance by 40% on peak traffic since deploying the service.
Internap hosts PopCap's U.S. site, which serves more than 60 million hours of online free-based game play per month. PopCap's games are also offered on partner sites including Microsoft Gaming Zone, Yahoo, RealOne Arcade and Shockwave. PopCap's top selling puzzle title, the addictive Bejeweled, has sold more than 10 million units and been installed on 50 million mobile phones in North America in the last two years.
"Gaming is a global phenomenon and our customers expect to freely download, purchase and play their favorite games," said Hans Reifenrath, director of IT for PopCap Games, Inc. "We face the challenge of keeping bandwidth costs under control as more users come online daily, especially through the use of wireless devices worldwide."
Posted by Rich Miller November 29, 2006 | Permalink | Newsletter
Intel 'Slow to Acknowledge' Shift on Chip Power
Brad Ellison, a veteran data center executive at Intel, has begun a series of blog posts examining the "hot topic" of power and cooling issues in data centers. Intel's perspective on the issue will be of interest, as data center professionals are increasingly focused on efficiency improvements at the chip level as being critical to serious progress on high-density hot spots. Ellison begins by noting the criticism of Intel's efforts thus far:
In the press and at many conferences that I have attended, the collective finger is often pointed at Intel and the processors that we design and manufacture. Our competitors have been quick to seize on this opening and use it to gain market share. Granted, we (the collective we of Intel) have been slow to acknowledge the need for low power consumption designs. As recently as a year ago, there was ongoing debate within Intel’s design engineering community regarding the priority for and value of low power designs vs. “the need for speed” (there may still become pockets of resistance here). But I would argue that Intel is not the culprit here. It is an industry wide information technology issue!Ellison notes that Intel's latest designs "have clearly comprehended the fundamental marketplace shift requiring lower power consumption with high performance."
I think Intel's critics are fully aware that processor energy efficiency isn't the sole cause of the power and cooling challenges. The chief question has been whether Intel would be part of the problem or part of the solution. The admission that the company has been slow to respond to the crisis is a good place to start the discussion. Ellison says upcoming blogs will examine current approaches to heat loads and broader implications of the problem. Let's hope these provide some insight into whether the "pockets of resistance" have been fully overcome.
Posted by Rich Miller November 29, 2006 | Permalink | Newsletter
November 28, 2006
Data Center Designed for 500 Watts/SF
If you track the data center industry, you're probably used to seeing impressive numbers for power loads and data center engineering. But I took notice of a mention of "the world's highest density data center at 500 Watts/SF" in an article at Data Center Journal (link via John Rath). The story, which announces a new Denver-area data center for CH2M HILL, makes a passing reference to the fact that the engineering firm designed this way-high-density data center.
So who's the tenant requiring 500 watts per square foot? The project is described in a PDF document on the CH2M Hill web site, noting that the project is for a "confidential client." The IDC Architects web site has additional information, which doesn't name the client but identifies the facility's location - Hillsboro, Oregon. Some quick Googling reveals that Hillsboro is the site of several data centers, including facilities operated by Fortix/ViaWest and The Spine Group. But the obvious suspect in Hillsboro is the Sun Solution Center where Sun Microsystems runs stress tests on high-performance computing applications.
Posted by Rich Miller November 28, 2006 | Permalink | Newsletter
Yahoo Opens Wenatchee Data Center
It was Yahoo Day in Chelan County, Washington yesterday as co-founder David Filo presided over opening ceremonies for the company's new data center at the Confluence Technology Center in Wenatchee. Yahoo spent $12 million to transform the CTC’s third floor into a data center, and will soon be building a larger facility in nearby Quincy.
Yahoo Chief Information Officer Lars Rabbe blogged the event, discussing how Yahoo's new construction is a shift from its historic approach to data center infrastructure:
We have more than 25 large data centers around the world, housing hundreds of thousands of servers (the engine behind all of our popular services) and other equipment that powers Yahoo! These technology hubs (including the one we are building from the ground up in Quincy, just 30 miles east of Wenatchee) represent a new phase in our approach to data center management. Historically, we have rented space and data center management from third-party vendors. We’ve recently started taking a hybrid approach by building or leasing our own data centers, providing us with much more control over our own destiny (and data!).See the local newspaper, the Wenatchee World, for additional coverage of the Yahoo event.
Posted by Rich Miller November 28, 2006 | Permalink | Newsletter
November 27, 2006
RagingWire Expands in Sacramento
Citing a strong demand for high-density data center space, RagingWire Enterprise Solutions, Inc. (RES) has begun an expansion that will add 89,000 square feet to its facility in Sacramento, Calif. RES, a provider of managed hosting and IT outsourcing solutions, expects the Phase 3 build-out to be completed in the thrid quarter of 2007.
In addition to the data center expansion, RES has built its own onsite 69KV power substation. With power supplied from two separate grids, the substation is capable of 24 megawatts of capacity. The entire Phase 3 data center floor will be engineered to reach over 200 watts per square foot, according to Yatish Mishra, president and chief technology officer of RES. This level of cooling is made possible by incorporating multiple 1,200-ton chillers, a 4-foot raised floor, a 32-foot ceiling, and oversized main chilled water lines.
Posted by Rich Miller November 27, 2006 | Permalink | Newsletter
The chief executive officer and CFO of Affiliated Computer Services Inc. (ACS) have resigned after an investigation into stock options practices found they violated the company's ethics code. CEO and President Mark A. King and CFO Warren D. Edwards will remain with the company during a transition period ending June 30, 2007. Chief Operating Officer Lynn Blodgett, 52, was named president and CEO.
ACS provides IT outsourcing for enterprise clients, including a range of data center and disaster recovery services. You can read more at WashingtonPost.com or the company press release on the ACS web site.
Posted by Rich Miller November 27, 2006 | Permalink | Newsletter
Telx To Manage Digital Realty Meet-Me-Rooms
Telx will manage Meet-Me-Rooms in 10 major Internet gateways owned by Digital Realty Trust (DLR), the two companies said this morning. The deal is an immediate byproduct of last week's acquisition of Telx by GI Partners, which is also a major investor in Digital Realty. More significantly, the deal creates a network of connectivity hubs in major U.S. Internet markets, allowing Telx to offer a "one-stop shopping" option for companies seeking to rapidly deploy a national network across 12 markets, including the 10 Digital Realty sites as well as Telx facilities in New York and Atlanta.
The agreements call for Telx to lease and manage Meet-Me-Rooms in the 10 Digital Realty Trust facilities, providing customers with fully managed environments for interconnections between the networks of leading Internet companies, enterprises and global telecommunications providers.
"Creating a nationwide network of Meet-Me-Room operations is a mission we have focused on for years and reaching that goal with Digital Realty Trust brings together the two premier operators and brand names in the industry, creating an unparalleled value proposition for customers," said J. Todd Raymond, Telx's President and Interim CEO.
In recent months Digital Realty has focused its investment activity on the premier carrier hotels in major markets, purchasing 120 Van Buren in Phoenix, acquiring a 49 percent stake in the Westin Building in Seattle, and buying AboveNet facilities that included a data center at 111 8th Avenue, one of the primary carrier hotels in Manhattan.
Meanwhile, the purchase of Telx last week gave GI Partners access to facilities at the other leading Manhattan telecom hub, 60 Hudson Street, as well as the top carrier hotel in Atlanta, 56 Marietta Street.
Posted by Rich Miller November 27, 2006 | Permalink | Newsletter
November 22, 2006
Would MMOs Wither Without Net Neutrality?
Is Net neutrality critical to the rapid growth of MMORPG online games? Ramprate believes it is, and outlines its thinking in an article titled Every Time You Vote Against Net Neutrality, Your ISP Kills A Night Elf. The article's premise - that ISPs who get no direct revenue from online gaming would handle MMO and FPS (game server) traffic in a fashion that would degrade latency - is being discussed on Slashdot.
While there's a certain logic to some of the scenarios presented by Ramprate regarding phone companies and ISPs, bear in mind that the largest online games are actually hosted by a phone company. AT&T hosts World of Warcraft and Sony Online Entertainment's major games. At this year's E3, AT&T announced the expansion of its online gaming operation. Given the hosting fees coming in from Blizzard and Sony, it's reasonable to conclude that AT&T/SBC has a vested interest in their success. Does the nation's largest phone company have leverage in dealing with ISPs who might be tempted to mess with their customers' MMO traffic? I suspect they do. I'd be interested in comments/feedback on the Ramprate scenario and whether AT&T's hosting role supports or undermines it.
Posted by Rich Miller November 22, 2006 | Permalink | Newsletter
MORE STORIES FROM THIS MONTH:
- IBM Deal Is Latest Project for Austin Market
- Telehouse Reports Growth in NYC, LA
- HP Demos Dynamic Smart Cooling
- Internap Speeds Delivery of PopCap Games
- Intel 'Slow to Acknowledge' Shift on Chip Power
- Data Center Designed for 500 Watts/SF
- Yahoo Opens Wenatchee Data Center
- RagingWire Expands in Sacramento
- CEO, CFO of ACS Resign Posts
- Telx To Manage Digital Realty Meet-Me-Rooms
- Would MMOs Wither Without Net Neutrality?
- GI Partners Buys telx, 56 Marietta
- Gartner: Virtualization Slows Server Sales
- Video Drives 10 Gigabit Ethernet Adoption
- IDC: Power Consulting As An Opportunity
- Data Center Blogosphere Links
- Colo Developer Plans National Expansion
- Akamai Acquires Nine Systems
- Perot Systems Opens Kentucky Data Center
- DataPipe buys San Jose Data Center
- PG&E Offers Rebates for Virtualization
- Prices for Cabinets, Space Trending Higher
- eBay Seeks Energy 'Sweet Spot'
- Terremark Identifies Expansion Sites
- Generator Update: Backlog Now 14 Months
- Report: Akamai May Buy Nine Systems
- Wall Street West Gets Data Center Tenant
- Data Center Job Board Launched
- MySpace Shifts to Peering For Video Delivery
- Cluster Specialist Scali Gets $3.5M Funding
- Greenpeace in the Data Center
- Intuit Planning Data Center in Quincy, Wash.
- MMO Game Host Deploys 1,000 Blade Servers
- NJ Schools Connect at 165 Halsey MMR