| Data centers have never been exciting places. That is, | | | | Something like that can't be ignored. Other companies |
| until now. Its official, the coolest data center in the | | | | will want to check it out and see what's so special |
| world is the Pionen, located in 100 feet below the | | | | about the center and voila, they have another |
| bedrock in Stockholm, Sweden. Originally built as a | | | | customer. |
| nuclear bunker used during wartimes, it's now the | | | | Space-Age Features |
| home of a space-age, Bond-worthy data center. | | | | But it's not just design and no substance. In fact the |
| Instead of focusing on hardware and servers, the | | | | data center is just as high-tech as it is aesthetically |
| designers of this ultra high-tech data center decided to | | | | pleasing.o Located in a nuclear bunker- the data center |
| focus on humans, making it a hip and fun place to | | | | is located at the site of an original nuclear bunker from |
| work. The center features greenhouses, waterfalls, | | | | the Cold War. It has also kept the original name: Pionen |
| German submarine engines, simulated daylight and it | | | | White Mountainso Bomb Proof- located 100ft |
| can withstand a direct hit from a hydrogen bomb. | | | | underground and in an original bomb shelter, no |
| Design Straight Out of the Movies | | | | hydrogen bomb is going to destroy these servers. It |
| The location of the facility was the inspiration for the | | | | was built to be secure and protect soldiers in case of |
| unique design. Building a data center in an old nuclear | | | | an attack. No longer needed for these purposes, it |
| bunker demands something out of the ordinary and a | | | | now protects servers... even from a nuclear attack.o |
| boring design wouldn't do. To find inspiration for the | | | | Triple Redundancy Internet- Losing internet connection |
| center, the designers turned to science fiction movies | | | | is not a concern in this facility. Even though it's located |
| like Logan's Run, Silent Running and Star Wars: The | | | | deep within the mountains, there are both fiber and |
| Empire Strikes Back. Additionally, the James Bond | | | | copper wires running into the facility through the |
| movies were a huge inspiration for the design. The | | | | mountains from three different directions.o Cooling- |
| designer even wanted to get a white cat, but realized | | | | The facility uses Baltimore Aircoil fans to cool the |
| that would be going a bit too far. | | | | facility to the effect of 1.5 megawatts. This is enough |
| Word of Mouth Marketing | | | | cooling to cool several hundred servers.o Houses |
| One of the hidden benefits for such an intriguing and | | | | Sweden's largest ISP- this center is home to the NOC |
| interesting design is the word of mouth marketing it | | | | for all of Bahnhof's operations. This is the largest ISP in |
| automatically produces. The space-age design, | | | | Sweden, with five locations- of which, Pionen is the |
| waterfalls, greenhouses, artificial sunlight and smoke | | | | biggest. Additionally the data center is a colocation |
| machines make the data center stand out. Since | | | | facility so you can put your servers there if you want. |
| collocation is one of the services they offer, | | | | This data center is by far the world's coolest data |
| customers frequently visit the facility. When something | | | | center and deserves its title. It's tough competition for |
| is this unique customers are sure to share what they | | | | anyone to outdo Pionen, but if anyone is up to the |
| saw with their friends and business associates. | | | | challenge, the world could use more cool data centers. |