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Microsoft Plans $500 Million Chicago Data Center
miller60 writes "Microsoft is planning a huge new data center in the Chicago area, as it continues to expand its Internet infrastructure in an effort to keep pace with Google in web-based services. The new facility in Northlake, Ill. may cost more than $500 million and is expected to span 440,000 square feet. Microsoft opened a 470,000 square foot data center in Quincy, Washington earlier this year, and is building a similar facility in San Antonio. Microsoft has also submitted plans for a $500 million data center campus in Dublin, Ireland."
Great, more work for the IT folk in Chicago. The Quincy data center has created employment for 1200 persons... Not a bad thing.
It's time to realise that Abble's products are the biggest abomination these days. Just say NO to the dumb iAbble way!!
Depends on the task.
For low-thread/process count tasks (unlikely here), I see a lot better performance out of Windows than Linux.
And I've seen better performance out of FreeBSD and VMS across the board, than out of Linux.
YMMV, but general roll-up statements like the one you made are rarely true. In the end, the ideal OS is very task dependant.
Self proclaimed typo king, and inventor of the bear destroying coffee table (patent not pending).
Insightful? Please, RTFA.
Power in Northlake costs $0.05 per kWh.
Even Google's cheapest (by power cost) datacenter, their Columbia River facility on a hydro grid, costs roughly 25 cents per watt/year -- or about $.028 per kWh. Yes, slightly more than half the power cost of the Northlake facility.
However, if you think about it, there are benefits to diversified data center locations. They reduce the impact of regional disturbances such as storms (or, as you point out, power outages). They also distribute the demand for qualified labor, which keeps labor costs down.
Here's a link with some info about power costs affecting datacenter locations, with some other useful links included
Also please note that the cost of the land is one of the most minor costs of building a datacenter.
"Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
Well, there's very little threat of earthquakes, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, or flooding (unless they're building it in the basement of a bldg in the Loop, that is!).
I think you're really overstating Chicago's rolling blackout 'problem'. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only blackouts I'm aware of were caused by thunderstorms, and that happens anywhere that trees coexist with overhead power lines.
And winter? Bah. Free AC for the servers for 6 months out of the year.
Land prices are tricky. Some places are completely insane, but I imagine there are plenty of older industrial areas that can be had for a relative bargain. It doesn't need to be a chic part of town for a datacenter.
A post a day keeps productivity at bay.
From TFA:
"Microsoft has been keenly focused on power costs in its data center site location efforts. While 5 cents per kilowatt hour is in the midrange of average state-by-state power costs, it is lower than rates found near many major data center markets such as California (9 cents per kWh) or northern New Jersey (11 center per kWh)." Commonwealth Edison also generates around most of its power from nuclear reactors, making the location carbon friendly on that basis.
Sources of Electricity Supplied Percentage of Total for the 12 months ending September 30,2006
Biomass power 1%
Coal-fired power 4%
Hydro Power 0%
Natural gas-fired power 0%
Nuclear power 92%
Oil-fired power 0%
Solar power 0%
Wind power 0%
Other resources 0%
Unknown resources purchased from other companies 3%
TOTAL 100%
As noted in some other comments, Chicago also is :
(a) 3rd largest metro area in the US and largest in the Midwest
(b) a major rail hub - much fiber was laid on railroad rights of way in the go-go 90s
(c) notoriously corrupt, so it's likely Microsoft will receive massive tax subsidies that will reduce its costs
And I've lived in Chicago all my life and can't identify any "rolling blackouts" recently. ComEd had infrastructure problems with ancient cabling in the city proper 10-12 years ago during a very hot summer (as do many older cities). The main issue Chicagoans have with ComEd is with its recently raised residential rates, which were jacked up 20% despite record profits for ComEd and its parent, Exelon. This is thanks to the notoriously corrupt politics of the great state of Illinois as a whole.
For those youngsters on here, Windows 95 was codenamed Chicago before its release.
There should be a moderation category "Dumbest Comment EVER"
It's near an expressway fork: I-88(Southwest, I-294, I-290
There's a Portillos near by; I don't think anyone will be starving.
----- You know you have ego issues when you register a domain in your name.
It's pretty obvious what these data centers are for: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Live_Core