Inside Microsoft’s New Quincy Cloud Farm

Posted By Rich Miller On January 4, 2011 @ 4:58 pm In | 1 Comment

An air-handling unit is lowered onto the top of an IT-PAC container, which is already pre-populated with servers, at the new Microsoft data center in Quincy, Washington.

Microsoft has competed construction on its new modular “cloud farm” data center in Quincy, Washington. The design of the next-generation facility is driven by Microsoft’s use of data center containers that come packed with up to 2,000 servers. These containers, known as IT-PACs (for pre-assembled components) can be deployed faster and cheaper than traditional raised floor data center space. The modular design helped Microsoft complete the initial deployment in Quincy in just eight months. Here’s a closer look at the modular data center technology being deployed in the new Quincy facility.

Another view of the assembly of the "PAC stack" of components in Quincy, as a crane lower the air handler unit onto the IT PAC.

This Power PAC houses equipment providing power distribution and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) protection for the IT modules. Power and IT modules can be configured for different levels of redundancy and reliability within the facility.

This view offers a look at the interior of the Quincy facility, a lightweight steel and aluminum structure that has been described as a modern version of a "tractor shed." The design improved the sustainability of the project by dramatically reducing the use of concrete.

More pictures of the Microsoft Quincy Cloud Farm ^[1]

Article printed from Data Center Knowledge: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com

URL to article: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/inside-microsofts-new-quincy-cloud-farm/

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[1] More pictures of the Microsoft Quincy Cloud Farm: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/inside-microsofts-new-quincy-cloud-farm/inside-microsofts-quincy-cloud-farm-continued/

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