Skip navigation

Inside Facebook's Lulea Data Center

Facebook today opened its newest data center in Lulea, Sweden. The company says the  27,000 square meter (290,000 square foot) data center may be its most efficient and sustainable to date. It's the first server farm on a multi-building campus in Lulea, and will be powered by hydro electricity and villed with the "vanity free" server and storage hardware from the Open Compute Project.  Here's a look inside the Facebook Lulea data center. (All photos courtesy of Facebook): 

lulea-network

It takes a big network to support a global audience. Here's a look at the network equipment area of the Lulea facility, which is Facebook's first data center outside the United States. About 70 percent of Facebook's users are outside the U.S. and Canada.

lulea-rows

Here's one of the data halls in Lulea, with rows of server racks on either side of a central corridor. Cool air from the facility's upper-level "penthouse" cooling system enters the room above this center aisle, and is diffused by the screens seen near the top of the photo, which help the air spread to the end of the rows.

fb-lulea-fullracks

Servers.Lots of servers. Here's a look at the racks inside the Lulea facility, with network switches at the top of the rack, servers filling the bulk of the rack, and storage at the bottom.

lulea-blue-light

Blue lights are important in helping the servers look cool, as well as feeling cool. In the row at right, UPS units occupy the space between the "triplet" racks.

fb-fanwall-lulea

The upper level of Facebook's data center serves as a huge cooling system, with fresh air entering the building through louvers and then passing through a series of chambers that filter and cool the air, which then enters the server area on the lower floor. This fan wall helps maintain pressure to guide the air through filters.

fb-lulea-external-fans

What happens to the warm air that comes out of the back of Facebook's servers? It rises into a plenum above the data hall, and then into this chamber at the end of the "penthouse" level, where it will typically be vented to the outside through the row of fans at left. On cold days, the exhaust heat can be recirculated and mixed with outside air to adjust its temperature before entering the data hall.

fb-offices-lulea

Facebook's data centers are known for their artwork, especially panoramic murals that make office environments feel more vibrant. Here's a look at some of the support space in the Lulea facility.

fb-lulea-aurora

The artwork inside Facebook's data centers typically reflects an aspect of the local community. This relaxation space in the facility in Sweden evokes the Aurora Borealis, or northern lights. Lulea is located not far below the Arctic Circle.

fb-lulea-roof

Perhaps the best vantage point for grasping the size of a Facebook data center is the roof, where the full expanse of the facility unfolds before you. Yes, that's a big roof.

For more on the new data center, check out our coverage: Facebook Goes Global and Gets Greener. For additional coverage of the company's infrastructure, see our Facebook Channel.