Microsoft's supersize data center plans

We are in the midst of the digital land grab for Internet users. And a key building block to serve those billions of users on the planet is tens of thousands of servers in data centers processing the bits.

Nick Carr has received hints that Microsoft intends to build out two dozen data centers of about 500,000 square feet or more in size. He said that it was unclear as to when the data centers would be built.

Rich Miller at Data Center Knowledge gives the rumored 12 million square feet of data center space some context:

That's equivalent to filling 65 Wal-Mart Supercenters with servers. It would be a computing footprint more than twice the size of the Vatican; an expansion more than half-again as large as IBM's entire 8 million square feet of data center space. And Nick uses the term "first phase."

It should be noted that this 12 million square foot data center plan is not confirmed. But it is in the realm of reality considering Microsoft's ambition to duplicate its 20th century success in this century. In this cloud era, Microsoft could be one of the biggest customers of its enterprise own software.

[earthandeconomy]

Let's hope Microsoft has plans to go with an environmentally friendly design to minimize the impact of their computing footprint...or is that simply going to be an afterthought?

[cidman2001]

How does this size up compared to the Google data centers?

[i8ntlyon]

I hope that Microsoft will be building these data centers here in the US instead of over seas. I am tired of talking to someone on the phone who is suppose to be helping me and I cant understand them.

[transpired]

er...there is no customer support/service representatives answering phone from a DATA center. don't confuse this with a "Call center." If you don't know what a data center is, you can look it up at cisco.com or wikipedia.

[microsoft slayer]

Let me guess, it's going to be in ... a third world country...supersize my arse!

[transpired]

65 walmart stores big? i say it is time to buy some csco stocks!

[cturkin21]

earthandeconomy - actually datacenters lead the way in green & environmental design. Look at this blog post which describes the progress that large operators such as Microsoft, Google and Yahoo have made:

http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/02/13/microsoft-yahoo-merger-greener-than-google/

[fazalmajid]

I am puzzled by pundits who think data centers will somehow aid Microsoft in its competitive battle with Google. Building data centers yourself (instead of renting space from a colo) can decrease your costs, if they are professionally managed and if you have economies of scale. If you do not have the traffic to utilize them at close to capacity, however, they are an expensive albatross around your neck. It is as if GM announced that it is going to become more competitive against Toyota by building new factories, instead of focusing on designing cars people actually want to buy.

Microsoft is putting the cart before the horse. It has to make its online products compelling first. No amount of data center building is going to do that for them, even if fast response times are one factor in customer adoption.

[dfarber]

Microsoft thinks long term...with its global ambition to serve billions of people, owning will be more economical than renting over time....and it also provides the option of spinning of the hosting division...IMHO

[lmasanti]

It is another "announce-but-never-fulfill" promise from Microsoft.
Do I have to list the non-fulfilled promises? Let's start with Vista,...