A close look into New York greatest data centers
325 Hudson and Western Union Bulding are two of the most important data centers and they are located in the middle of New York City’s telecom corridor. They offer direct access to transatlantic cables and allow the exchange of information between local and international telecom services providers. So yes, basically they route the Internet.
NY based Photographer Peter Garritano recently got access to these buildings that house hundreds of servers and brought back the next photos.
Biometric mantraps (double locking doors) are common security protections
Conduit carrying lines of power, fiber, and control cables enters a room where backup power systems are connected.
Fiber optic cables enter and exit carrier hotels through underground vaults. Some of these cables run local connections, others are on their way to eventually cross the Atlantic.
In a sub-basement, redundant utility equipment and diesel fuel are stored for disaster recovery.
An electrical substation transforms incoming voltage and distributes power through a building
Ceiling tiles removed for maintenance reveal various conduit-- both fiber cabling and utility lines.
20-cylinder diesel engines kick on to keep systems running if primary utilities fail.
Yellow cables indicate fiber optic lines which carry data encoded as pulses of laser light along a strand of silicon glass. The grey wires are generally lower bandwidth copper cables.
Techs are on-site 24/7 to diagnose and fix issues for clients without immediate access to their equipment
If you want to see all the photos, visit Peter Garritano’s page. It’s worth it!
