Will Silicon Valley Run Out of Data Center Space? 142
1sockchuck writes "With capital scarce, data center developers are prioritizing projects in northern Virginia, where the Obama stimulus plan and federal shift to cloud computing are likely to boost data center demand from government agencies. This is forcing them to delay or scale back large projects in Santa Clara, setting the stage for a supply/demand imbalance in Silicon Valley, particularly for large space requirements. One potential mitigating factor: some currently occupied data center space could become available through the failure of venture-backed startups."
I say DIG (Score:5, Interesting)
Sorry, for a moment there, I thought we were still in a cold war.
Maybe they could just move them next door to the next valley? I am sure there are plenty of nice valleys around that are just waiting to take all the required new data centers. Maybe snap up some bargain land from those plummeting subprime land prices?
And the power will come from where? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:I say DIG (Score:5, Interesting)
Case in Point
World's most secure data center [pingdom.com]
This underground data center has greenhouses, waterfalls, German submarine engines, simulated daylight and can withstand a hit from a hydrogen bomb. It looks like the secret HQ of a James Bond villain.
And it is real. It is a newly opened high-security data center run by one of Swedenâ(TM)s largest ISPs, located in an old nuclear bunker deep below the bedrock of Stockholm city, sealed off from the world by entrance doors 40 cm thick (almost 16 inches).
Rust Belt (Score:2, Interesting)
I wouldn't even consider building a fresh data center here, just because of earthquakes alone.
Move to Sacto or something.
How about those Rust Belt states? Or Detroit? Or anywhere else where there are lots of out of work folks and where the cost of living is a fraction of California? There are colleges and universities that have CS and engineering programs outside of CA - meaning, you can find people with the necessary skills in other areas in those parts of the country. They're not all blue collar union members who refuse to learn new skills.
Half-empty dc's (Score:2, Interesting)
I've worked in several large datacenters in the Atlanta area for various clientes in the past few months. These things are overbuilt, and half or more of their capacity looks idle. Speaking with dc staff, many of even the populated cages are idle/bankrupt/abandoned.
And the dc salesmen have seemed pretty eager last 6 months or so. I've bought some rack space & virtual servers recently, and got some shinin' deals.
So I can attest to the fact that at least that postulate about dc capacity being underutilized.
But, things seem on the upswing now though, at least my intuition says so.
Re:Not even possible (Score:2, Interesting)
If there is a large seizure, some drug or the other might not be available at any price, at least for a short period of time. Some owners might not be willing to part with art at any price, putting the value they place on the item far above any buyer (or even a variety of buyers). Hence the dysfunctional markets.
Agreed (Score:5, Interesting)
With improved density current installation needs should be met forever even without folding .coms.
More importantly, the datacenter should locate somewhere with cheap power, labor and real estate that has good fiber. Where in the world it is is irrelevant - people who run servers don't fondle the hardware any more.
Move them north (Score:0, Interesting)
I'm telling you. Save a ton on cooling costs and move north. Yea they'll be some chicken and egg type stuff, you'll need to get better infrastructure out there... but they need to stop building heat generators in a hot climate. It's just dumb.
Re:Half-empty dc's (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Agreed (Score:5, Interesting)
Northern VA doesn't have cheap power, definitely does not have cheap real estate, but we do have lots of good fiber. You can't mow your lawn without breaking some.
The vacancy is horrendous. I work in a virtually abandoned office building (upper four floors completely vacant) and pass 20 other empty offices on my way to work, not to mention the data centers that America Online abandoned even before they were brought online.
Re:Why... (Score:3, Interesting)
That's ridiculous (Score:3, Interesting)
. Some of us aren't willing to have our life-and-death choices subject to government bureaucratic decision trees.
What's the difference between government and an insurance company? I just don't get it. I'm not seeing how you could be any more bureacratic that Cigna, Aetna or Blue Cross.
. And this is a matter of life and death for me and everyone else who uses health care.
Either way, its not your money. Your life or death decisions are making my health care more expensive, public or private.
Re:No more startups (Score:3, Interesting)
The relevant portion of the article:
The non-partisan think-tank calculated the average local tax rate in New York State at 1.7 percent, and combined it with the 8.97 percent that high-bracket state taxpayers will shell out in 2011, when the health care plan is set to take effect. Tack on the 39.6 percent federal tax rate, 2.9 percent for Medicare and 5.4 percent for the health care "surtax," and the figure is 56.92 percent for the Empire State.
In New York City, the top tax rate is 3.65 percent, making the Big Apple's top combined rate even higher.
The $544 billion tax hike would violate one of President Obama's ironclad campaign promises: No family will pay higher tax rates than they would have paid in the 1990s.
Under the bill, three new tax brackets would be created for high earners, with a top rate of 45 percent for families making more than $1 million. That would be the highest income-tax rate since 1986, when the top rate was 50 percent.
So the figure is below 60%, an aggregate tax rate, and applies to people in NY state earning over 1 million.
It's _less_ (at the fed level at least) thank it was in 1986, in the midst of Reagan's reign. In fact, federally, it's an increase of _5%_ over today's tax rates.
How is this the end of the world again?