Switch, operator of the massive and massively flashy ex-military-staffed Las Vegas data centers branded SuperNAP, has brought another facility at its Sin City campus online. The company said SuperNap 8 was its most innovative data center design yet.

The SuperNAPs provide colocation and connectivity services to more than 600 clients in Las Vegas, ranging from startups to Fortune 100 enterprises. The newest facility builds on technology advances achieved in the design of SuperNap 7.

Switch CEO and Founder Rob Roy said, “It is our mission at Switch to solve problems, develop smart systems and think beyond tomorrow for the benefit of our clients, and SuperNAP 8 is a direct result of this mission.”

The design advances include the redundant data center roofing system called Switch Shield. It consists of two independent, separate and individually rated 200 mph steel roof decks.

The decks are located nine feet apart and are attached to the concrete-and-steel shell of the facility, containing no roof penetrations. The Shield is designed to mitigate extreme-weather concerns involving data center roofs while also providing a maintainable roofing solution.

Another new design feature is the Iron Black Forest temperature-control system that leverages Switch’s insulated heat-containment architecture. The steel infrastructure matrix that supports the system radiates cold-stored thermal energy that allows for the facility to achieve high HVAC resiliency ratings.

Also new to SuperNAP's multi-mode HVAC platform is the Switch Rotofly, invented by Roy himself. The patent-pending flywheel design supports continuous refrigeration and temperature controls during power outages.

Switch is known for giving a sleek look to its data centers and hiring former military personnel as its security staff.

Switch announced plans to build SuperNAP 8 and SuperNAP 9 in January 2011. Together, the two projects would add 600,000 sq ft to the data center complex' total footprint, which at the time o the announcement was about 400,000 sq ft.

Also in 2011, Switch raised US$124m in a financing round joined by Intel Capital, Citigroup, Nevada State Bank, Bank of Nevada and City National Bank.