IBM has announced plans to build a $360 million state-of-the-art datacenter at its facility in Research Triangle Park (RTP), North Carolina. The datacenter will include new technologies and services that will enable IBM to deliver Cloud Computing capabilities to clients. Cloud computing uses advanced technologies and global delivery mechanisms to enable individuals to access information and services from any device with extremely high levels of availability and quality of experience.
IBM will renovate an existing building on its RTP campus in North Carolina to create one of the most technologically advanced and energy efficient datacenters in the world. The new datacenter will be the first in the world to be built with IBM's New Enterprise Datacenter design principles. Clients using this center will have unparalleled access to massive internet-scale computing capabilities, while gaining the cost and environmental protection advantages of IBM's industry-leading energy efficiency datacenter design.
IBM owns and operates more than eight million square feet of datacenter space - more than any other company in the world.
This new RTP datacenter is a key component in IBM's Project Big Green initiative to dramatically increase energy efficiency in the datacenter, as companies face escalating energy costs and the requirement to handle a rapidly rising amount of data.
"This announcement further demonstrates IBM's commitment to our state and to our people," said Gov. Mike Easley. "I look forward to maintaining this partnership with IBM for years to come." "This new datacenter is part of IBM's commitment to construct the world's most advanced datacenters," said Bob Greenberg, general manager of IT Optimization and North Carolina Senior State Executive at IBM.
"IBM's innovations have been a cornerstone of the Research Triangle Park and Durham County, and this new state-of-the-art datacenter certainly continues that outstanding legacy," said Ellen W. Reckhow, Chairman of the Durham County Board of Commissioners. Durham County approved allocating $750,000 in economic development incentives for IBM's new datacenter. Technology features and details on the new RTP datacenter The new RTP datacenter will use many of the technologies from IBM's Project Big Green initiative to sharply reduce datacenter energy consumption. Following the first phase of 60,000 square feet of raised floor datacenter space, this site can potentially be expanded in standard modular increments. In IBM's new Datacenter Family of services, design is typically performed in advance on an entire project, so the additional capacity can be added as client demand dictates. With a modular approach, it's easier to grow the space and defer significant capital costs.
Along with the recently commissioned Boulder datacenter, the new RTP facility will be IBM's first truly adaptive datacenter, where facilities equipment is designed to adjust its operation to the needs of IT equipment in the datacenter. These datacenters will be specially designed for a heterogeneous mix of computer hardware and software.
IBM will also incorporate its High Density Zone solution into the datacenter design. This will enable IBM to support the latest water-cooled equipment and energy requirements, as well as to optimize its infrastructure for traditional and new air-cooled equipment. Some other key design features:
IBM goals include reusing 95 percent of the original building's shell, recycling 90 percent of materials from the original building, with 20 percent of newly purchased material to be from recycled products;
IBM plans to install high density computing systems utilizing virtualization technology, which reduces energy costs by running multiple software applications on the same servers. This technology, along with IBM's Cool Blue portfolio of energy efficient technologies and a modular datacenter design, will allow the RTP facility to offer IBM's clients up to three times more computing capacity per square foot than the average datacenter;
The datacenter will leverage an industry-leading integrated cooling system allowing it to respond to varying cooling requirements of the IT equipment in real time. During colder months, the datacenter can switch to free-cooling mode, utilizing a water economizer to dramatically reduce energy consumption;
The datacenter's mechanical system design is 50 percent more efficient than the industry average, equating to a reduction of approximately 31,799 tons of carbon dioxide emissions a year;
The facility is planned to be partially powered by alternative energy sources, resulting in a targeted reduction of approximately one million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions per year;
The datacenter will provide dual-site backup and recovery offerings from IBM's Business Continuity and Resiliency Services, in conjunction with IBM's recently enhanced Boulder, Colorado datacenter;
The facility will use energy efficient lighting, and all critical systems will be monitored and alarmed to security and maintenance 24x7x365.
These technologies, in conjunction with the energy efficient design and construction, will allow IBM to reduce its overall carbon footprint compared to standard datacenters.