By one count, worldwide there were some 11,800 data centers in early 2024. Within that census are facilities so small that they fit in office building closets, while others are among the largest manmade structures on the planet. How are we to make sense of this diverse population?
Data centers house computers, networks and switches to store, process and disseminate large quantities of data of organizations and their customers and supply chains. The size and complexity of these facilities vary with their functions in the business ecosystem. Much like the well-known depictions of the evolution of horses from tiny brush creatures to mighty stallions, the overall category cries out to be broken down along multiple dimensions.
This post provides a naturalist’s field guide to data center types and features.