Yahoo: Weather a Key Benefit of NY Location

In a sign of the growing importance of free cooling in data center site location, representatives of Yahoo cited the cool weather in Western New York as a factor in the company’s interest in building a $150 million data center project in Lockport. Yahoo senior director of operations Scott Noteboom said the company was planning for its “most efficient design to date,”  with an approach intended to lessen usage of water and power. Here’s a video report posted by Buffalo TV station WIVB.This video runs about 2 minutes, 15 seconds.

Yahoo Eyes Lockport, NY for Data Center

Yahoo (YHOO) has filed plans for a $150 million data center in Lockport, New York and hopes to begin work in August building a 190,000 square foot server farm. Officials in Lockport announced Yahoo’s interest after the company filed site plans with the city planning board. Lockport is about 25 miles northeast of Buffalo, NY.

Yahoo has told local media the Lockport location is “not a done deal” and the company is still considering other states. Yahoo’s board has yet to approve the proposal, and the company is apparently debating whether to buy or lease the site. But the filing of site plans suggests that a decision is all but done but can’t be finalized until a pending package of tax breaks is approved.

The company has filed site plans for a 30-acre parcel along Route 270. Yahoo also considered sites in nearby towns of Pembroke and Cambria, and had previously scouted locations in Virginia and eastern Canada.

NY Approves Power for Yahoo Data Center

New York State officials say a $150 million Yahoo data center is bound for the Buffalo area after the New York Power Authority approved a deal to supply the Internet company with 15 megawatts of power. But the company says it has made no commitments, and industry sources say other states are still in the hunt.

Gov. David Paterson said the decision must be approved by Yahoo’s board, but that he ”expects to secure Yahoo!’s commitment to invest in Western New York rather than in competing sites in other states.” The governor’s office said the new facility is expected to be located in either Niagara or Genesee Counties, and would create 125 jobs paying approximately $65,000.

But sources in the data center industry suggest Yahoo’s decision is not a done deal. Yahoo has scouted sites in at least two other locations. Although Virginia officials say the state’s recent approval of tax incentives for data centers was not designed to attract a specific deal, the measure offers tax exemptions for projects of at least $150 million – exactly the size of the Yahoo development.  

“We are continuously evaluating new ways to best support our business needs and we are in a dialogue with various state officials about our potential options,” Yahoo said in a statement to the Buffalo News. “New York State Officials and the Governor’s office have been very supportive in helping us evaluate our options in New York State, and we’re pleased to learn of the New York Power Authority’s vote.”  

Yahoo Considers NY State for Data Center

Yahoo is considering several sites in Western New York for a major data center, according to New York state officials, who are seeking to leverage the area’s supply of hydro power to attract the huge Internet company. Discussions between Yahoo and officials in Gov. David Paterson’s administration began about six weeks ago, according to the Buffalo News, which said the New York Power Authority (NYPA) has been directed to work with Yahoo on the company’s requirements.

“They are seriously, seriously considering a site in Orleans County or Genesee County,” Sen. Chuck Schumer told the News. “They are considering other sites … but Western New York is at the top of the list. If Yahoo locates in Western New York, it would be an eye-opener for many other types of firms to look at us.”

Genesee and Orleans counties are each east of Buffalo, not far from the Niagara River and its supply of hydro power, which has been a major attraction in helping central Washington state attract major data center projects – including one of Yahoo’s largest company-built facilities in Quincy, Wash.. But serious questions remain about the NYPA’s ability to deliver capacity to large industrial users. Last month Steel Development Co. abandoned plans to build a $200 million plant in Western New York when the NYPA could offer only 17.5 megawatts of capacity, half the 35 megawatts the company was seeking. Local media report that Google also considered a data center in the area, but was unable to finalize a deal with the NYPA.

Nebraska’s Wooing Led to Yahooing

Nebraska economic development officials have been working hard to attract major data center projects to their state. And it must have been frustrating to see Google and Yahoo each announce enormous data center projects next door in Iowa.

So when Yahoo came to Nebraska as part of a 17-state site location process, state officials were determined to compete hard for the project, a commitment that extended to the governor’s office. When company and local officials gathered this morning to announce Yahoo’s $100 million data center in La Vista and customer care center in Omaha, Gov. Dave Heineman wore purple Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars. Purple, of course, is Yahoo’s signature color.

“The personal involvement of the governor was the key here, as evidenced by his purple shoes,” Yahoo Vice President of Operations Kevin Timmons told the Omaha World-Herald. “His involvement was a big factor compared to the competing states. I got a lot of calls from him asking, ‘Kevin, what do we have to do to get to a yes?’”

Yahoo Set to Unveil Nebraska Project

Yahoo has purchased this building in La Vista, Nebraska for $14.8 million.

Yahoo today will confirm its plans to build a major new data center facility in La Vista, Nebraska, a suburb of Omaha. Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman is scheduled to hold a news conference at 10 a.m. in La Vista and is expected to discuss the state’s effort to win the project, which is expected to include an investment by Yahoo of at least $100 million. A key development was Nebraska’s adoption of tax incentives that made it more attractive for Yahoo to build in Nebraska than Iowa, which has already won huge data center projects for Google and Microsoft.

Yahoo recently paid $14.8 million to purchase a 300,000 square foot existing structure on 24.3 acres of land in La Vista. The building previously served as the headquarters for Tender Heart Treasures, which makes gifts and home decor products, and will vacate the building in January.

The new facility is a major step in Yahoo’s ongoing expansion of its data center infrastructure to support its online properties. The timing of the announcement is somewhat awkward, following this week’s announcement that Yahoo will lay off 1,400 workers as part of a plan to cut costs by $400 million. But Yahoo has been less aggressive in its data center capital spending than rivals Microsoft and Google, which have each announced more than $2 billion in new projects since the start of 2007. 

Q&A: Yahoo Discusses Its Data Centers

Search and news portal Yahoo (YHOO) is a major user of data center space, and is in the midst of a significant expansion of its infrastructure. We recently had an email Q-and-A with Yahoo Vice President of Operations Kevin Timmons, who oversees the company’s data centers, and asked about Yahoo’s data center growth and energy efficiency initiatives.

What are the factors prompting Yahoo to seek additional data center space?

We’re constantly in expansion mode here, primarily due to simple traffic growth to the site and our efforts to continuously serve our global audience in the best manner possible. We also are continuously looking to consolidate many of our smaller legacy centers into more efficiently designed facilities that are more reliable and more cost effective to operate.

How many data centers does the company have?

We’ve got data centers of varying sizes located around the world. We don’t share the exact number.

Is Yahoo incorporating energy efficiency technologies into its new data centers?

With any new Yahoo! data center project energy efficiency efforts start early on in the process. For example, we spend a tremendous amount of due diligence on site selection in order to locate in a climate that will allow for maximum economization. We strive to operate our centers for a significant portion of any year using ambient air for cooling. In order to do that, we certainly challenge the traditionally accepted temperature and humidity standards and have achieved pretty remarkable results in overall efficiency as a result. We have some patents pending on our cooling technology that virtually eliminates any need for air handling within the data center, again all in the name of energy and cost efficiency.

Yahoo Buys Site for Nebraska Data Center

Yahoo has purchased this building in La Vista, Nebraska for $14.8 million.

Yahoo continues to move forward with plans for a major data center project in Nebraska, even as the company appears to be preparing for cost-cutting that could include employee layoffs. Yahoo paid $14.8 million to purchase a warehouse and headquarters building for Tender Heart Treasures in La Vista, Nebraska, according to property records.  

The property includes a 300,000 square foot existing structure on 24.3 acres of land, with approval to add a 38,000 square foot expansion. The building includes a three-story office area and a warehouse with a 35-foot ceiling. Tender Heart Treasures, which makes gifts and home decor products, will vacate the building in January when it moves to another location, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Yahoo Nebraska Data Center Set for La Vista

Yahoo has selected La Vista, a suburb of Omaha, as the location for its Nebraska data center project, according to papers filed with the state. Nebraska Tax Commissioner Doug Ewald told Omaha.com that Yahoo has applied for tax incentives under the Nebraska Super Advantage program, which requires a minimum investment of $100 million and the creation of at least 50 high-salary jobs paying a minimum average salary of $68,700.

La Vista is one of the fastest-growing cities in Nebraska, and has 800 acres of industrial business parks. Current corporate residents from the tech sector include HP and eBay’s Paypal unit, which employs about 2,000 workers at a call center in La Vista.