How big is a large Data Center? – Effects of Disaggregation

Continuing from the previous week, let us explore today, how big these data centers could get:-

Consider the following infographic from Go-Globe:

Even this data is slightly older, now we have more than 400 hours of video uploaded to Youtube every minute. These videos then are accessed in various parts of the world. That means they must get replicated across n-number of data centers, determined by a complex algorithm. Imagine the growth of data space required to support it? Imagine how big must be these data-centers?

Have a look at the picture below:-

Quite a few of these planned data centers are now a reality. The Wembley Stadium is 172000 Sq Ft. Many of these data centers are bigger than the Stadiums. Imagine how many servers can fit in such stadiums? Some of these are so big that they require huge power plants of their own. Can you imagine the complexity?

Can we even hope to connect so many servers physically and manage dynamic allocation for content in any form that a traditional Telco may follow? I bet that if these guys had not done things differently, I will not have the capability of self-publishing my content from anywhere in the world and make that available to you.

Next week we will continue to explore the rise of data warehouses and the other related effects. So stay tuned.