Google Data Centers

[Marius]

Google recently allowed users into the front door, and down to the basements of its data centers around the world.

Google uses services like StreetView and YouTube to give users the opportunity to step inside the data centers like never before.

A look inside Google's high-tech data centers.

 

[Marius]

Campus Network Room



Inside the Google campus network room, routers and switches allow data centers to talk to each other. The fiber optic networks connecting sites can run at speeds that are more than 200,000 times faster than a typical home Internet connection. The fiber cables run along the yellow cable trays near the ceiling.

 

[Marius]

Council Bluffs Data Center



Google's Council Bluffs data center provides over 115,000 square feet of space. Google make the best out of every inch, so you can use services like Search and YouTube in the most efficient way possible.

 

[Marius]

Data Cener Floor Lookout



Hovering above the floor in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the scale of the data center there begins to take shape. Huge steel beams both support the structure and help distribute power.

 

[Marius]

Cooling Pipes



These colorful pipes are responsible for carrying water in and out of our Oregon data center. The blue pipes supply cold water and the red pipes return the warm water back to be cooled.

 

[Marius]

Colour Cables



Pipes aren't the only colorful things at the data centers. These cables are organized by their specific hue. On the floor, this can make things less technical.

 

[Marius]

Failed Drives



As part of Google's commitment to keeping users' data safe, they destroy all failed drives, on site.

 

[Marius]

Insulated Pipes



Insulated pipes like these have a U-bend (called this due to their shape) so they can expand and contract as the fluid temperature inside the pipe changes.

 

[Marius]

Pipe Lines



Thousands of feet of pipe line the inside of the data centers. Google paint them bright colors not only because it's fun, but also to designate which one is which. The bright pink pipe in this photo transfers water from the row of chillers (the green units on the left) to a outside cooling tower.

 

[Marius]

Cooling Facility



These colorful pipes send and receive water for cooling the facility. Also pictured is a G-Bike, the vehicle of choice for team members to get around outside the data centers.

 

[Marius]

Emergency Water Pipes



We keep pipes like these ready with highly-pressurized water in case of a fire. This water, in particular, is cleaned and filtered so if we use it, we don't contaminate the facility.

 

[Marius]

Server Room



Blue LEDs on this row of servers indicates everything is running smoothly. Google use LEDs because they are energy efficient, long lasting and bright.

 

[Marius]

Cooling Plant



An overhead view of one the our cooling plants, where seawater from the Gulf of Finland entirely cools the data center there.

 

[Marius]

Server Floor



Server floors like these require massive space and efficient power to run the full family of Google products for the world. Here in Hamina, Finland, Google chose to renovate an old paper mill to take advantage of the building's infrastructure as well as its proximity to the Gulf of Finland's cooling waters.

 

[Marius]

Server Security



While exploring the data centers using StreetView, users might bump into a few pleasant surprises, like this Storm Trooper on duty.

 

[Marius]

Google Trolling



Google even used this opportunity to slide in some subliminal trolling, for the meticulous StreetView users.