Rare Glimpse Inside Google's Data Centers

Information giant Google has centers all over the world that drive everything you see on the web. These recently released photos show the poetry that goes into organizing the sheer amount of data on the web.
— Skylar Bergl

At the Hamina, Finland, Google center, sprawling rows of servers line the floor of what was formerly a paper mill. The open space allowed for dozens of rows of servers.
Photo by: Google/Connie Zhou

Here in the cooling plant, the frigid waters from the nearby Gulf of Finland enter the cooling ecosystem of the data center. Seawater is the main resource for keeping the plant cool rather than other means. The methodical arrangement provides an organized flow and a pretty appearance.
Photo by: Google/Connie Zhou

 Google keeps things color coordinated better than anyone. Reminiscent of their colorful search logo, these pipes help keep the Hamina run on 100-percent unprocessed water from the Gulf. Instead of worrying about the cleanliness for drinking, Google figured it'd be easier to adapt to the resources around them.
Photo by: Google/Connie Zhou

 The Mayes County, Oklahoma, center displays the uniformity that Google has come to symbolize. By connecting the same color wire to the same switch on each server rack, there's no confusion in case something goes wrong. For an organized soul, the sorted bliss these Ethernet cables provide is second to none.
Photo by: Google/Connie Zhou

 

 Again, organization is king. It's easy to let a mess of wires distract from the overall function of the server. But these miles of cable are bundled together neatly to monitor the controls for the cooling system at the Berkeley County, South Carolina, Center.

Photo by: Google/Connie Zhou

 Each server is outfitted with a very bright, very environmentally friendly LED light that will last much longer than a CFL bulb. The shifting color spectrums are a signal to anyone walking between them about what each server's status is. It's reminiscent of a system you might see in NORAD.

Photo by: Google/Connie Zhou

 

Here's another display of the colorful water pipes, this time in Douglas County, Georgia. The extensive network of pipes winds its way throughout the centers in a choreographed chaos. In the foreground: the "G-Bike," which workers use to move around the enormous centers.

Photo by: Google/Connie Zhou


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