Inside the internet: Google allows first ever look at the eight vast data centres that power the online world
Inside Google Pictures Gives First Ever Look at the 8 Vast Data Centres
Data centres range from vast warehouses in Iowa to a converted paper mill in Finland
Buildings are so large Google even provides bicycles for engineers to get around them
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Google has given a rare glimpse inside the vast data centres around the globe that power its services.
They reveal an intricate maze of computers that process Internet search requests, show YouTube video clips and distribute email for millions of people.
With hundreds of thousands of servers, colourful cables and even bicycles so engineers can get around quickly, they range from a converted paper mill in Finland to custom made server farms in Iowa.
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The online gallery reveal the interior of eight of Google’s secretive server farms around the globe, from Finland to Iowa
‘Very few people have stepped inside Google’s data centers, and for good reason: our first priority is the privacy and security of your data, and we go to great lengths to protect it, keeping our sites under close guard,’ the firm said.
‘While we’ve shared many of our designs and best practices, and we’ve been publishing our efficiency data since 2008, only a small set of employees have access to the server floor itself.
‘Today, for the first time, you can see inside our data centers and pay them a virtual visit.
‘On Where the Internet lives, our new site featuring beautiful photographs by Connie Zhou, you’ll get a never-before-seen look at the technology, the people and the places that keep Google running.’
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The site features photos from inside some of the eight data centers that Google Inc. already has running in the U.S., Finland and Belgium.
Google is also building data centers in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Chile.
Virtual tours of a North Carolina data center also will be available through Google’s ‘Street View’ service, which is usually used to view photos of neighborhoods around the world.
The photographic access to Google’s data centers coincides with the publication of a Wired magazine article about how the company builds and operates them.