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Iceland's Data Center Push Finally Gets Traction

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the time-to-move-your-data-center-again dept.

miller60 writes "Iceland is poised for the completion of its first major international data center project, after years of marketing itself as a potential data center mecca. Iceland offers an ample supply of geothermal energy and an ideal environment for fresh air cooling, but its ambitions were slowed by the global financial collapse. But now the huge UK charity Wellcome Trust has provided funding to complete a new data center in a former NATO facility in Keflavik."

3 of 117 comments (clear)

  1. WikiLeaks & Iceland's Legislation by Rand310 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Wikileaks has a proposal to get a bunch of different free-speech, safe-harbor, journalist-protection style legislation through Iceland so as to both spur this kind of development, as well as provide a political safe-haven for data. Apparently it has caught on pretty well locally, and with a small population it's not particularly difficult to get such legislation passed on short notice.

    http://www.wikileaks.org/

  2. Not news here by akarnid · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This has been on the cards for about two years now. Construction at the site stopped last month because politicians wouldn't dare go on with the project because of public opposition. One of the top stakeholders in Verne Global is one Bjorgolfur Thor Bjorgolfsson, former owner of failed bank Landsbanki, whose high-interest Icesave savings accounts failed spectacularly and have kicked off the biggest firestorm in the republics' short history. Also, the bandwidth is not a problem. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenland_Connect (goes to US/CANADA) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DANICE (goes to EU) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FARICE-1 (goes to EU) These are the fiber cables we have. As you can read, we have lots of unlit fiber there.

  3. Eastern Canada then? by atomic777 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It seems like the regions of the world where electricity-hungry aluminum production has centered would do well with data centers. Quebec is also endowed with plentiful hydroelectric electricity, ample cooling capacity, local expertise, and most importantly, proximity to large markets. I almost wonder why i don't hear more about data center hosting in Quebec, given the natural advantages