News
M&A Sessions
Impact Awards
Pipeline 2025
MSP Index
Reports
Events
Resources
Advertise

Business Managed IT Services Cloud

Collaboration Data Centre Digital

Distribution Hardware Mobility

Networking Printing Security

Servers & Storage Services Storage

Telco

End of support for Windows 10 State of AI 2024 Public Sector Tech Report

State of data State of Security 2024 State of the MSP 2024

Kickstarter 2024 Cloud Covered State of Diversity

State of Sustainability 2023

Channel Leaders Golf Day Benchmark Security Awards MSP Index Roadshow

Channel Meets 2025 Pipeline 2025 Impact Awards

Fast50

Photos Channel TV Focal Points

Partner Content Partner Hubs Partner Stories

Media Hub Boardroom Impact Whitepapers

News

Business Managed IT Services Cloud Collaboration Data Centre Digital Distribution Hardware Mobility Networking Printing Security Servers & Storage Services Storage Telco

M&A Sessions Impact Awards Pipeline 2025 MSP Index Reports

End of support for Windows 10 State of AI 2024 Public Sector Tech Report State of data State of Security 2024 State of the MSP 2024 Kickstarter 2024 Cloud Covered State of Diversity State of Sustainability 2023

Events

Channel Leaders Golf Day Benchmark Security Awards MSP Index Roadshow Channel Meets 2025 Pipeline 2025 Impact Awards Fast50

Resources

Photos Channel TV Focal Points Partner Content Partner Hubs Partner Stories Media Hub Boardroom Impact Whitepapers

Advertise

Log in

Email:

Password:

Remember me | Forgot password?

Don't have an account? Register now!

Home
Galleries
Services

Photos: Inside Facebook's Prineville data centre

Networking giant says it will set a new standard for power efficiency.

0 Comments

1 of 15

Facebook's new data centre is located in Prineville, Oregon. Facebook's engineers spent two years designing the data centre from the bottom up "in the most efficient and economical way possible". Photo: Chuck Goolsbee

Facebook's Prineville data centre features custom-designed servers, power supplies, server racks, and battery backup systems in an effort to consume less power. Photo: Steve Tague and Joseph Eastburn

Facebook's custom-designed server racks are larger than standard 1U rack units (about 1.5U) - mostly to fit larger, more power efficient fans. The racks are also completely serviceable from the front. Photo: Steve Tague and Joseph Eastburn

Facebook says its custom-built servers were designed to strip out anything that didn't contribute to efficient use of power. The company hopes to set an example to its industry peers by publishing these designs in what it calls the "Open Compute Project". http://opencompute.org/servers/

Custom server motherboards have been supplied by Intel and AMD. Here we have one of the Intel motherboards - stripped of many of the traditional server motherboard functions Facebook doesn't feel it needs.

Facebook has also designed its custom power supplies to eliminate the need for a central UPS system. This Open Compute Project 450W power supply acts as an AC/DC power converter - it includes independent AC input and DC output connectors, plus a DC input connector for backup voltage. It's also self-cooling.

The power efficiency drive doesn't stop at the server level. Facebook's entire Prineville building is designed with power efficiency in mind. LED lighting only turns on as a human enters a room, and hot air from the servers is used to warm the office building during winter. The server room is also cooled (or in some cases, warmed up) using free cooling (sometimes referred to as 'outside air'.)

The Prineville data centre has an automated system of sensors that decide what mix of air should be presented to the servers. On cold days, outside air is mixed to cool down the servers inside. But on very cold days, outside air is something to avoid, as it tends to be dry and conducive to static electricity. On these days, the system takes air that has already gone through the servers, allows it to rise up into this mixing chamber to be re-used to warm the cold outside air coming in. Here you can see the moveable dampers regulating the mix of hot air coming up from the server room below (left) with the cold air coming from outside. It's from this room that this combination of air is mixed, filtered (right) and eventually returned to the server room. Photo: Steve Tague and Joseph Eastburn

Here we see the filters through which the mix of air is pushed through - once through this bank of filters the air passes through a chamber where mist is added to humidify the air, if required, before it is blown through a mist eliminator wall and sucked down one level onto the server room floor. Photo: Steve Tague and Joseph Eastburn

Facebook's Prineville data centre uses a large set of fans to cool the servers. The Open Compute servers run slightly larger fans that run at a lower speed - again, all in the name of power efficiency. Facebook designed the servers to run at 27 degrees celsius (80.6 degrees Fahrenheit), but have since found the machines are more resilient than first thought. The company now believes the threshold could be more like 85 degrees Fahrenheit (just over 29 degrees celsius). Photo: Steve Tague and Joseph Eastburn

Too much hot air in the data centre mix? The hot air rises into this chamber where - if not being re-used - it is blown out onto the roof. Photo: Steve Tague and Joseph Eastburn

View from the roof of Facebook's Prineville data centre. Photo: Steve Tague and Joseph Eastburn

The end result? Facebook expects to save 24 percent on data centre costs, and use 38 percent less power. Photo: Steve Tague and Joseph Eastburn

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg drops in for the opening. Photo: Steve Tague and Joseph Eastburn

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg meets some of the Oregon locals. Photo: Steve Tague and Joseph Eastburn

Tags:

Zetaris and Equinix collaborate to accelerate agentic AI

Elastic and AWS partner to help businesses transition into AI-native enterprises

NRI subsidiary AUSIEX becomes ISO27001 certified

Partner Content

Secure, integrated platforms enable MSPs to focus bringing powerful solutions to customers

Build cybersecurity capability with award winning Fortinet training from Ingram Micro

Ingram Micro Ushers in the Age of Ultra

Kaseya Dattocon APAC 2024 is Back

Channel can help lead customers to boosting workplace wellbeing with professional headsets

Events

techpartner.news MSP index - Brisbane

techpartner.news Channel Leader List / Golf day

techpartner.news Pipeline Conference 2025

Integrate Expo 2025

Security Exhibition & Conference 2025

Most popular tech stories

Westpac pilots AI to analyse inbound call content

Westpac hires CBA's data chief to lead AI, data and digital

Coles merges digital and customer leadership

BHP sets up AI hub in Singapore

ANZ explores agentic AI opportunities
Telstra to move away from 'best effort' connectivity, let users tweak attributes

Transport for NSW restructures tech division

In Pictures: Freshworks IT modernisation roundtable

In Pictures: Abnormal AI and AUSCERT security roundtable

Vic firefighters doing battle with IT outages
Blackberry celebrates "giant step forward"

Photos: The 2024 IoT Awards winners

Axis Communications opens experience centre in Sydney tech hub

How the University of Melbourne used LoRaWAN and IoT in ‘COVIDSafe’ strategy

Perth IoT vendor Digital Matter names new chief executive

OTHER TECH SITES: Digital Nation | IoT Hub | iTnews

All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in any form without prior authorisation.
Your use of this website constitutes acceptance of nextmedia's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Log in

Don't have an account? Register now!

Email:

Password:

Remember me | Forgot your password?

Photos: Inside Facebook's Prineville data centre

Networking giant says it will set a new standard for power efficiency.

Related articles

Zetaris and Equinix collaborate to accelerate agentic AI

Elastic and AWS partner to help businesses transition into AI-native enterprises

NRI subsidiary AUSIEX becomes ISO27001 certified

Most popular tech stories

Westpac pilots AI to analyse inbound call content

Westpac hires CBA's data chief to lead AI, data and digital

Coles merges digital and customer leadership

BHP sets up AI hub in Singapore

ANZ explores agentic AI opportunities

Telstra to move away from 'best effort' connectivity, let users tweak attributes

Transport for NSW restructures tech division

In Pictures: Freshworks IT modernisation roundtable

In Pictures: Abnormal AI and AUSCERT security roundtable

Vic firefighters doing battle with IT outages

Blackberry celebrates "giant step forward"

Photos: The 2024 IoT Awards winners

Axis Communications opens experience centre in Sydney tech hub

How the University of Melbourne used LoRaWAN and IoT in ‘COVIDSafe’ strategy

Perth IoT vendor Digital Matter names new chief executive

Log in