Largest Data Centers in the World

When we ask where is the internet located, what do you say? All the data used and generated on the internet everyday is definitely stored somewhere. But where?

These huge data are stored in locations across the world known as Data Farms or Data Centers and they are the backbone of the data used on the internet.

Some are owned by companies for their own exclusive use while others are owned by companies and they provide storage and cloud services to other companies, government institutions and the military.

Below are some of the biggest of such data centers built in various places across the world.

1. Digital Reality Data Center, Chicago: This massive data center located in Chicago has a size of about 1.1 Million Sq. Ft. It is supported by more than 50 generators and uses about 8.5 million gallons of cooling fluids.

Digital Reality

This facility needs about 100 megawatts of electricity to run.

2. Quality Technology Data Center, Atlanta: This is a massive 990,000 Square ft. facility and is run by it's own on-site power station supported by 36 generators. In total it generates about 120 megawatts of electricity.

Data Racks at QTC, Atlanta

3. NAP of Americas Data Center, Miami: This 2.2 million sq. ft data center is located in Miami and is a major centralised infrastructure for over 183 networks spread across North and South America and even the rest of the world making it one of the most sensitive and important data centers in North America.

NAP of Americas, Miami

It's clients includes the U.S military, banks, major I.T firms etc. The security for this facility is very extensive and includes a 7-inch thick reinforced steel and concrete wall.

This data center can withstand a Category 5 hurricane hit. It is built to last.

4. Next Generation Data Center, Newport, Wales: This data center, owned by Microsoft, is a perfect example of a green data center because it does not use cooling towers and use less than 1 percent of the water volume used by other data centers. The size is about 550,000 sq. ft.

Next Generation Data Center, Wales

5. Range International Information Hub, Langfang, China: This ambitious project, when completed in 2016 will be the largest data center in the world.

Artist Rendering

At 6.3 million sq. ft it would be almost the same size as the Pentagon. Owned by Range International and designed by IBM, this super massive data center would become a complex hub that would provide services for a wide range of customers across the entire globe.

6. The NSA Data Center, Bluffdale, Utah: This data center is owned by the National Security Agency(NSA) of the United States and it costs $2 billion to set up. It is officially known as the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative(CNCI) and is known to be able to capture all forms of communication like phone calls, e-mails, Internet searches, online data etc.

NSA Data Center, Utah

The size is more than 1 million sq. ft.

7. Tulip Data Center, Bangalore, India: At more than 1 million sq. ft this is currently the largest functioning data center in Asia and the building and design was fully supported by IBM.

Tulip Data Center, Bangalore

The facility use about 100 megawatts of electricity, has 20 modular data centers in a four-tower building and is dedicated to cloud and networking services.