Facebook unveils plans for new datacenter in Iowa

PanARMENIAN.Net - Facebook on Tuesday, April 23 announced its fourth owned and operated datacenter will be in Altoona, Iowa. The company plans to “break ground” this summer and begin serving user traffic in 2014, The Next Web reported.

Facebook notes the state has an “abundance of wind-generated power” and is home to “a great talent pool that will help build and operate the facility.”

Altoona becomes number four after Prineville, Oregon; Forest City, North Carolina; and Lulea, Sweden. The data center will thus also be the third one for the company in the U.S.

Just like the others, the Altoona facility will also feature the company’s Open server designs and outdoor-air cooling system. Yet Facebook says it also incorporate “evolutionary improvements” to the building design, networking architecture, and more. Facebook also claims that Altoona “will be among the most advanced and energy efficient facilities of its kind” when it is complete.

Facebook explains why it needs to keep building bigger and better data centers as its userbase expands and they continue to interact with more content: “In the coming years, as our service continues to grow and people share and connect in more ways, we need to make sure that our technical infrastructure also continues to scale. Our goal is not just to deliver you a fast, reliable experience on Facebook every day – we also want to help make connectivity a universal opportunity. Our data centers are essential for making that happen.”