Why Facebook's New-Gen Data Center Leads by Example
In the midst of the wide open spaces of farm and grazing land surrounding this central Oregon town of 9,253 has been born a new type of farm: one that produces Web services that interconnect people. And like horses, cows and sheep on the grasslands, this one also requires water, fresh air and plenty of space. The new farm, of course, is mechanical and needs electricity -- lots of electricity. That's why Facebook, the world's largest social network with close to 1 billion registered users, decided about four years ago to build its first wholly-owned data center in Prineville, about 140 miles east of Portland. The Columbia River is about 80 miles away, providing all the hydroelectric power a huge facility like this needs to stay up and running at all times.
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