Facebook to Build Its Own Data Centers
A look at the fully-packed racks inside a Facebook data center facility. — Facebook has decided to begin building its own data centers, and may announce its first facility as soon as tomorrow. The fast-growing social network has previously leased server space …
Context & Ripple Effects
By October 2009, Facebook had reached 30,000 servers, while relying on leased server space. Moving from leased capacity toward self-built facilities makes infrastructure design and expansion a direct Facebook responsibility rather than a service bought from data-center landlords.
First-order effects
- Facebook shifts part of its capacity strategy from leasing server space to owning the facility layer, taking on construction and operating decisions alongside its growing server fleet.
Second-order effects
- Data-center leasing providers serving Facebook face a customer whose incremental growth can move in-house, while Facebook gains more control over how facility capacity is matched to its hardware needs.
Third-order effects
- If other large web platforms follow the same path, the market shifts toward vertically integrated operators that treat data-center design as a core product capability rather than a leased utility.
The trend: Rapidly scaling web services are bringing data-center capacity in-house to control the infrastructure beneath their server fleets.