KHOU 11 takes tour of one of Digital Realty’s largest data centers to see how it all works.
RICHARDSON, Texas — Texas is in the middle of a boom, not in oil or cattle, but data. Across the state, massive data centers are popping up everywhere, powering everything from cloud storage to streaming services .
KHOU 11 got access inside Digital Realty’s data center campus just outside Dallas in Richardson, TX.
It’s a nondescript fortress from the outside, but inside it hums like a hive around the clock and holds more secrets than a vault.
“As consumers we hear ‘cloud’ and think it lives in the ether somewhere, but it has to physically live somewhere,” said Colin McLean, Chief Revenue Officer for Digital Realty.
Data centers are where the Internet lives. Digital Realty owns and operates over 300 data centers in 50 cities worldwide.
“For the most part, people don’t understand how it underpins their daily life,” said McLean.
Something as simple as email to artificial intelligence, you name it, if it’s digital, it’s fueled by servers within data centers just like this.
“This is one of our larger facilities across the globe,” said McLean.
“There’s gates downstairs, security guards,” described McLean.
Access is restricted to protect sensitive data. KHOU 11 saw that up close inside 458,000 square foot facility.
“You’re going to see down here, several cages where racks are deployed,” said McLean. “This is where servers and network environment is.”
That hum you hear – fans. Several dozen high powered air conditioning units keeping it all cool. There can be no power interruption ever. 24-7, 365 days a year, facilities like this have to keep the lights on. Power off the ERCOT grid is option 1. If that ever fails an arsenal of generators kick in.
This center alone requires up to 100 MW of power. That’s enough juice to power at least 10,000 homes. It’s just one of hundreds of data centers and 26 million Texans counting on the grid to deliver.
“We will all need the power in the state of Texas,” said McLean. “The size and demand of the utility will continue grow.”
ERCOT expects energy demand here in Texas to double by 2030. Data centers alone could account for 20% of that demand. There’s growing concern about what that means for the future of the grid and the average consumer at home.
A closer look at what’s being done to keep the lights on for everyone in Texas – tonight on KHOU 11 News at 10.