040
Size Does
Matter
Phoenix ONE offers nation’s
largest commercial data center
ot all data
centers are
created equal.”
i/o Data Centers’ motto
based on the most-
recognized phrase of
the U.S Constitution
took on new meaning
when the company
recently opened
the doors of its new
538,000-square-foot
Phoenix ONE facility.
The new data center
claimed its own place in
U.S. tech history as the
largest commercially
available data center in
the nation.
n
“Phoenix is an ideal location for a data
center of this magnitude because of its
abundant power supply, outstanding network
access and lack of natural disasters,” says
Anthony Wanger, i/o Data Centers president
and founder. The company also moved its
headquarters to the 31-acre campus.
Phoenix ONE is home to one of the largest,
highest-powered data centers commercially
available, and includes a private electric-util-ity substation. The substation will eventually
be expanded from 40 megawatts of power to
120 megawatts.
But if you think the power grid is in for
a big hit, think again. Going green was
foremost when the former bottling site of
LeNature’s Beverages was refurbished to
become the center. The intent was to reduce
the facility’s overall carbon footprint.
For example, a top priority for any data center is to keep things cool (even in an Arizona
summer). The facility’s design maintains the
coldest water, however, with the least amount
of energy consumption combined with high-efficiency heat exchanges. Working together,
they leverage free cooling bypass and outside
air temperature to cool chilled water. The
center also uses ultrasonic humidification
with its sealed cabinets to reduce energy
consumption by 200 percent.
Also, there is a pressurized floor plenum that
separates cold air supply from warm air return.
At the heart of this efficiency is use of raised
floors created by Tate Access Floors. Workers
installed 180,000 square feet in each of the first
t wo phases with the final 100,000 square feet
scheduled for completion by Sept 1.
The use of raised access floors with underfloor service distribution allows the center to
handle high heat loads in the most energy-efficient way. Cool air can be supplied closer
to the server racks along with various integration strategies to accommodate lower fan
speeds and higher temperatures while taking
advantage of displacement ventilation. In
turn, there is a cut in operating costs, along
with facility and maintenance costs.
Sustainable energy will be at work, too. A
bank of solar panels generating up to
4.5 megawatts of electricity will help supply
the needed power.
The center also has access to dozens of
telecommunications, Internet and other
carriers because of its location next to one of
the largest joint fiber trenches in the country.
However, Phoenix ONE will remain carrier
and network neutral, and will not charge
cross-connect fees. This means customers are
free to choose the best carriers for their needs.
Such access is a plus for other corporate clients doing business in the remaining 80,000
square feet used for office space. “Because of
the success we had with our Scottsdale ONE
facility, we were able to pre-sell some space at
this new facility,” Wanger says.
The 125,000-square-foot Scottsdale ONE is
the site of the original data center and former
headquarters. It’s still very much part of the
company, which plans to add two “pods” to
accommodate growth from both new and
existing customers.
+ GE T CONNEC TED
www.iodatacenters.com
www.tateaccessfloors.com
