Massive 'Server Farm' On Its Way

SAN JOSE-US DataPort is taking data centers to the next level. Across the country, companies have been dotting the nation with these 50,000-sf to 70,000-sf warehouses filled with servers, dedicated computers that store the information that people access via the Internet.

Instead of continuing that trend, however, the San Jose based company is building a data center city, a $1.2 billion complex that will comprise 10 massive air-conditioned warehouses totaling 2.5-million-sf and spread across nearly 170 acres. When built out in five to 10 years, the so-called “server farm” will eventually house the equivalent of 10 to 20 average data centers powered by an onsite energy plants developed by Calpine Corp.

US DataPort officials expect the economies of scale and reliable power will attract Web hosting companies, Internet service providers, telecom carriers and corporations looking for a reliable, expandable outsourced solution for the storage of their Internet sites.