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Town Expands To Boost Cooling For NSA Data Center
1sockchuck writes "A substantial water supply is critical for most large data centers. A case in point: Officials in Bluffdale, Utah have agreed to annex land housing a new $1.2 billion data center for the National Security Agency. The move makes the NSA a higher priority customer for Bluffdale's water utility, which prevents its water supply from a potential cutoff in the event of a water shortage — which would be a problem, since water will be used extensively in the data center's cooling system. Many large data centers have been working to reduce their water use to make them more sustainable and reliable."
until the people don't get water. Then they will; just destroy the data center in some manner.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
What a timely story to read as I'm preparing my slave taxes for the uberlords. You go guys! May I pour you a drink whilst you scan me for thoughtcrime?
After the location of their top-secret data center was made public, NSA has decide to auction off their data center on Ebay.
"PARTIALLY USED. EX-TOP SECRET DATA CENTER. WITH NEW WATER SUPPLY NO RESERVE!!!!"
If they do the plumbing right, all they need to do is channel the hot water into a facility for rest and relaxation. For that matter, it could also be used in other ways. There has got to be a better way than this to make use of this hot water.
Better -- stop the NSA domestic spying.
Every year us Utahns have to deal with our officials telling us there is not enough water to water our lawns or wash our cars and if we keep doing so there will not be enough water for our houses. Our main supply comes from the snow we get in our mountains. So yes we are limited. Our reservoirs have been slowly draining the past few years. Now we have to feed the NSA? And they have priority? Great.... I say give them my toilet water!
...Or just act really cool locally, totally incognito - a future so byte you gotta wear shades..
I still don't understand why people put data centers in stupid places. Lake Superior is deep and cold and can sink more therms than you can possibly make. But, no, let's put our new data center someplace where water is at a premium and then tell everybody about it.
Why would you locate something that demands cooling resources in the MIDDLE OF A DESERT?
Because an influential Senator wants the facility there, perhaps?
thou shalt not..., unless...you have the almighty's special dispensation & hopefully, some extreme unction in the bank. there's even more rumors of genetically altered nazi mutants being seen flying through the air (out of windows) with rats in their mouths & flames coming out of their butts.
there's almost no accounting for some things. for us, there is.
I hadn't actually heard about this data center (I live in Utah), but there's a nagging little voice in the back of my head that's wondering if the NSA will hire prisoners from the nearby state prison, also located in Bluffdale.
Of course such an idea is ridiculous, but it's funny that the town will boast both an NSA data center and the state prison.
Insanity is a gradual process; don't rush it.
It's not the location, but, the distance.
So far from the headquarters has GOT to make their data link security awesome. Maybe. How do you pay for a quantum encryption link from....Bluffdale. Maybe, it is a joke -- NSA in BLUFF-dale.
Tax dollars at work.
If only we could have more than two possible outcomes to this problem. If only we could somehow not waste the water on grass and not let it flow into the salt lake. It is purely foolish to think there are more than two possible choices to any problem though.
I live in Salt Lake City, and the sump pump in my basement has been going crazy in the last couple days. Snow melt and a high water table, you see. It does get dry in the late summer.
Bluffdale is a little ways south of here, between the large Utah Lake and even larger Great Salt Lake. This whole valley is a flood-plain.
Perhaps one of these additional choices you allude to could be considered by folks who know what and where they are talking about? That was not sarcasm.
WTF Happened to recirculating water cooling towers.And heat exchangers.
Reasons why you put a NSA data center near Salt Lake City.
1. The internet backbone for the western US and pacific lines pass through Salt Lake City.
2. In addition to the internet backbone being closeby there are large amounts of unused fiber optic cables in the area from previous government projects that will provide the needed bandwidth very cheaply.
3. Due to certain religious organizations in the area, there are a large amount of U.S. Citizens who are fluent in of the worlds languages, in addition most of them are very loyal to their country.
4. Also due to the religious organizations in the area many people live a lifestyle that makes various government clearances easier to obtain.
5. The local population is highly educated. Adobe, Intel, and many other large tech companies are moving operations to Utah for the same reason.
6. Power is cheap. Utah produces far more power than it consumes, thus electricity is cheap and this will be a power hungry facility.
7. Local labor is cheaper than the national average.
This is the short list but you get the point. It really does make sense to put it in Utah.
...but are data centers really consuming water?
If they're using it for cooling, I doubt they're generating temps that actually evaporate the water...aren't they just essentially heating it and then returning it to the water table?
-Styopa