What is a hyperscale data center? How much energy does it take? Is Madison ready? We answer
After Gov. Tate Reeves announced on Tuesday that he would call a special session for the purpose of approving two "hyperscale data centers" on two industrial park sites in Canton and Madison County that could create as many as 1,000 jobs in a $10 billion development, many people may want to know what the heck is a hyperscale data center.
According to many tech websites, a hyperscale data center is a facility which houses critical computer and network infrastructure.
These facilities allow companies such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft to draw on their processing power to deliver key services to customers worldwide.
There’s no official definition, but a hyperscale facility typically has at least 5,000 servers and is 10,000 square feet or more in size.
Biggest development in MS history: Massive project in Madison County could be state's largest development ever. See details
$100 million sports development: Gluckstadt to be home of $100 million sports tourism destination if project approved
A report from Synergy Research Group found that more than 100 new hyperscale data centers were built in 2020 alone, bringing the total number of these facilities to 597. The 2021 report said the United States "continues to account for almost 40% of the major cloud and internet data center sites."
How much power does a data center need?
Nlyte Software notes that Hyperscale data centers require a lot of energy to operate their servers and power the cooling systems. One data center in Northern Virginia became the first in the world to reach one gigawatt — enough to power about 700,000 homes.
Does Madison County have enough energy to power such a station?
Entergy recently built a substation in Madison County that will be able to handle all of the energy needs of the hyperscale data centers.
How much do data centers cost to build?
Microsoft’s hyperscale data center in Northlake, Illinois is one of the largest data centers in the world. It occupies more than 700,000 square feet and cost an estimated $500 million to build. This data center also has its own on-site electric substation.
How big will Madison's data center be?
Joey Deason of the Madison County Economic Development Center would not say Tuesday how large the two data centers in Madison County will be when completed.
He said the company building the project would not comment on those issues for security reasons.
Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: What is a data center? Amazon Web Services coming to Mississippi
