Will Silicon Valley Run Out of Data Center Space?

1sockchuck writes "With capital scarce, data center developers are prioritizing projects in northern Virginia, where the Obama stimulus plan and federal shift to cloud computing are likely to boost data center demand from government agencies. This is forcing them to delay or scale back large projects in Santa Clara, setting the stage for a supply/demand imbalance in Silicon Valley, particularly for large space requirements. One potential mitigating factor: some currently occupied data center space could become available through the failure of venture-backed startups."

Comments

I say DIG

[Fluffeh]

I think we should start building hardened data center sites miles underground! And have like nukes defending them! And there should be these huge walls that don't allow anyone in or out! And guard dogs!

Sorry, for a moment there, I thought we were still in a cold war.

Maybe they could just move them next door to the next valley? I am sure there are plenty of nice valleys around that are just waiting to take all the required new data centers. Maybe snap up some bargain land from those plummeting subprime land prices?

Re:I say DIG

[Anonymous Coward]

Case in Point

World's most secure data center

This underground data center has greenhouses, waterfalls, German submarine engines, simulated daylight and can withstand a hit from a hydrogen bomb. It looks like the secret HQ of a James Bond villain.

And it is real. It is a newly opened high-security data center run by one of Swedenâ(TM)s largest ISPs, located in an old nuclear bunker deep below the bedrock of Stockholm city, sealed off from the world by entrance doors 40 cm thick (almost 16 inches).

And the power will come from where?

[FullBandwidth]

Coal-burning plants in the Appalachians, and a massive transmission line that Dominion Power wants to run across large swaths of W Va and VA. Now that the administration is behind the idea, the local opposition doesn't stand a chance.

Agreed

[symbolset]

With improved density current installation needs should be met forever even without folding .coms.

More importantly, the datacenter should locate somewhere with cheap power, labor and real estate that has good fiber. Where in the world it is is irrelevant - people who run servers don't fondle the hardware any more.

Re:Agreed

[kriston]

Northern VA doesn't have cheap power, definitely does not have cheap real estate, but we do have lots of good fiber. You can't mow your lawn without breaking some.
The vacancy is horrendous. I work in a virtually abandoned office building (upper four floors completely vacant) and pass 20 other empty offices on my way to work, not to mention the data centers that America Online abandoned even before they were brought online.

Re:Half-empty dc's

[drdanny_orig]

I live and work in Sunnyvale, and I'm here to tell you that half the office space in this area is empty. Buildings that started going up two years ago have stopped, rusting in place. And at the rate people and businesses are leaving I don't think space is going to be a problem.