What Is a Hyperscale Data Center?

by Andrew Lui

Definition of Hyperscale Data Centers

Hyperscale data centers can be defined as data centers with extensive computing capabilities and remarkable scalability. These data centers are typically constructed on expansive premises, housing thousands of racks within their buildings. A general guideline to be considered a hyperscale data center is to accommodate a minimum of 5,000 servers, occupy a facility spanning at least 10,000 square feet and provide a capacity of at least 40MW.
The other defining characteristic of a hyperscale data center is its capacity to scale up, down, and out. They are built to be extremely efficient with many redundancies to maintain high availability and reliability. Since most hyperscale data centers are running mission-critical workloads, their infrastructure must possess the flexibility to allocate computing resources to where they’re needed and facilitate exponential growth without necessitating additional cooling, power, and physical space.
 

The Key Factors of a Hyperscale Data Center

Several key factors define the operational excellence and scalability of hyperscale data centers:

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  Scalability: These facilities are designed to dynamically expand computing resources to accommodate growing data demands, supporting thousands of servers and managing large volumes of data with ease.
• Energy Efficiency: Given their substantial power consumption, hyperscale data centers focus on optimizing energy use. This includes the implementation of advanced cooling systems, utilization of energy-efficient hardware, and adoption of renewable energy sources to minimize operational costs.
• Automation: To manage their vast infrastructure, hyperscale data centers rely on automation for routine tasks. Automated systems enhance efficiency and reliability, and reduce the risk of human error in operations.
• Security: High levels of security are paramount, encompassing both physical and cyber defenses. Measures such as biometric access controls, constant surveillance, and advanced cyber defense mechanisms safeguard against unauthorized access and cyber threats.
• Redundancy: Ensuring continuous operation, redundancy is built into critical systems like power and cooling. This approach guarantees that backup systems are in place, maintaining high availability and reliability, even in the face of component failures.

Examples of Hyperscale Data Centers
Hyperscale data centers are at the forefront of technology and innovation, exemplified by several notable facilities around the globe. For instance, Google’s data center in Iowa, USA, epitomizes the hyperscale model with its vast size, advanced cooling technologies, and significant computing power, designed to efficiently process and store large quantities of data. Similarly, Facebook’s facility in Luleå, Sweden, leverages the cold climate to minimize cooling costs, showcasing the strategic use of location for energy efficiency.
 

What are the Challenges of Building Hyperscale Data Centers?

Building hyperscale data centers comes with its own set of challenges. There are several other challenges faced by hyperscale data centers such as location, energy costs, and security.
 

Location

The size of hyperscale data centers demands substantial land and supporting infrastructure to meet their power and cooling requirements. Therefore, selecting an appropriate location poses one of the primary challenges. Rural areas may offer cost advantages, but they might lack a stable power grid or other adequate infrastructure. If we examine Google's major data center locations, we’ll notice they are typically situated near, but not within, major cities to ensure access to essential resources.
 

Energy Costs

Energy cost is another very big challenge for hyperscale data centers. The large amount of power consumption demanded from running all the servers and networking equipment makes data centers one of the most energy-intensive businesses in the world. According to the United States Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, data centers can consume 10 to 50 times the amount of energy per floor space compared to the average commercial building and account for approximately 2% of the US’s electricity use.

To address this challenge, various approaches can be taken to construct more energy-efficient hyperscale data centers. One obvious strategy is the use of more efficient power supplies for servers and networking equipment. Advances in engineering and the use of higher-quality components have allowed power supply vendors to achieve efficiencies as high as 95%. Even a 10% increase in efficiency can mean thousands of dollars saved per rack.
 

Security

Hyperscale data centers face multiple security challenges including potential data breaches, cyberattacks, and even physical robbery. You won’t see any flashy signs or pretty windows on the outside of hyperscale data centers because they want to be as unassuming as possible. On the inside, hyperscale data centers will need to pull out all the bells and whistles to ensure their equipment and data are secure.

On the outside, biometric identification security systems and security guards with military backgrounds are usually the first lines of defense. On the inside, other than monitoring equipment and people, there’s a growing need for data encryption, log auditing, and smarter firewalls to prevent cyberattacks.
 

Hyperscale Data Center Redundancy

Redundancy in hyperscale data centers refers to the implementation of backup or duplicate components critical to the data center's operations. These redundancies are crucial in ensuring continuous functionality with minimal downtime. Given the mission-critical nature of workloads in hyperscale data centers, any system outage can have devastating effects on a business. In fact, it was estimated in a 2021 Forbes article that a 5-hour outage at Facebook (Meta) may have cost them approximately $65 million.

There are several ways a hyperscale data center can build redundancies. One of the most common, such as having multiple sources of power in case one fails. Many hyperscale data centers are also building renewable energy sources on-site to not only become backup sources of power but also improve sustainability.

Hyperscale data centers can also have redundancies built within the equipment on their racks as well. Today, switches and servers are typically designed with redundant fans and power supplies. For example, UfiSpace’s S9300-32D data center switch is designed with 1+1 power supply redundancy and 5+1 fan redundancy. All of these are hot-swappable, meaning the power supplies and fans can be replaced while the switch is in operation, leading to even less downtime in the network.
 

Conclusion

In conclusion, hyperscale data centers have emerged as a vital infrastructure in the digital age, largely driven by the increasing demand for cloud services and data-intensive applications. These data centers offer substantial computing capabilities, scalability, and efficiency, making them an ideal choice for organizations handling large, mission-critical workloads.

However, building hyperscale data centers comes with challenges, including finding suitable locations, managing energy costs, and addressing growing cybersecurity concerns. Despite these challenges, the benefits of hyperscale data centers are significant.

Businesses adopting hyperscale data centers can anticipate enhanced efficiency, cost savings through optimized energy consumption, and improved security and reliability through the implementation of redundant systems. To stay competitive and meet the growing demands of the digital landscape, businesses should evaluate their data center needs and consider whether hyperscale data centers are the right solution for their operations. Embracing hyperscale data centers can pave the way for future growth and success in a technology-driven world.