IBM Case Studies In the Hall of the Mountain Data King

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	In the Hall of the Mountain Data King IBM

In the Hall of the Mountain Data King

IBM

Technology Category	Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Computing Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Storage Services
Applicable Industries	Telecommunications Utilities
Applicable Functions	Discrete Manufacturing Logistics & Transportation
Services	Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services System Integration
Challenge	The Lefdal Mine in Norway, once a source for olivine, has been sitting empty for decades. The owners of the mine, a group of local residents and farmers, were looking for a way to utilize the massive underground space. The idea to transform the mine into a datacenter came about seven years ago. The natural security of the existing structure, Norway’s cool climate, and surplus hydropower made it an ideal location for a green IT environment. However, the transformation of the mine into a datacenter presented several challenges. These included the need for a reliable and green energy source, efficient cooling systems, and a scalable and flexible infrastructure that could accommodate the rapid growth in datacenter capacity. Read More
About Customer	The Lefdal Mine Datacenter is located deep underneath Norway’s craggy northwest coast. The mine was once a source for olivine, a dense mineral used in casting aluminum and steel. However, it has been sitting empty for the last few decades. The mine is owned by a group of local residents and farmers who own the land above the mine. The mine is massive, with a spiral road gradually descending 150 meters through the rock. The spiral is 14 meters wide and connects to boulevards running across six levels. Off the boulevard are streets running through the chambers that will hold the servers. The 75 chambers in the mine are 11 meters to 18 meters high. Each will be able to hold multiple containers, two on either side of the road and stacked three or four high, connected within each chamber by a series of walkways and stairways. Read More
Solution	IBM partnered with Lefdal Mine Datacenter to develop the technical design and provide an independent quality assurance for the entire blueprint from the beginning. IBM also offered clients resiliency services for data and server protection from within the mine. The datacenter was designed to be powered by renewable energy and cooled by water from a nearby fjord. The high-density rock provided natural protection from electromagnetic disruptions, and the single point of entry was concealed in the mountain and secured by a series of steel doors. The datacenter was designed to be modular, with server and power modules developed by Rittal that could be equipped and installed in only six weeks. These modules were manufactured in Germany, assembled in shipping containers, pre-certified, tested, and ready to plug into the cooling and power infrastructure at the mine. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Computing

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Storage Services

Applicable Industries

Telecommunications

Utilities

Applicable Functions

Discrete Manufacturing

Logistics & Transportation

Services

Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services

System Integration

Challenge

The Lefdal Mine in Norway, once a source for olivine, has been sitting empty for decades. The owners of the mine, a group of local residents and farmers, were looking for a way to utilize the massive underground space. The idea to transform the mine into a datacenter came about seven years ago. The natural security of the existing structure, Norway’s cool climate, and surplus hydropower made it an ideal location for a green IT environment. However, the transformation of the mine into a datacenter presented several challenges. These included the need for a reliable and green energy source, efficient cooling systems, and a scalable and flexible infrastructure that could accommodate the rapid growth in datacenter capacity.

About Customer

The Lefdal Mine Datacenter is located deep underneath Norway’s craggy northwest coast. The mine was once a source for olivine, a dense mineral used in casting aluminum and steel. However, it has been sitting empty for the last few decades. The mine is owned by a group of local residents and farmers who own the land above the mine. The mine is massive, with a spiral road gradually descending 150 meters through the rock. The spiral is 14 meters wide and connects to boulevards running across six levels. Off the boulevard are streets running through the chambers that will hold the servers. The 75 chambers in the mine are 11 meters to 18 meters high. Each will be able to hold multiple containers, two on either side of the road and stacked three or four high, connected within each chamber by a series of walkways and stairways.

Solution

IBM partnered with Lefdal Mine Datacenter to develop the technical design and provide an independent quality assurance for the entire blueprint from the beginning. IBM also offered clients resiliency services for data and server protection from within the mine. The datacenter was designed to be powered by renewable energy and cooled by water from a nearby fjord. The high-density rock provided natural protection from electromagnetic disruptions, and the single point of entry was concealed in the mountain and secured by a series of steel doors. The datacenter was designed to be modular, with server and power modules developed by Rittal that could be equipped and installed in only six weeks. These modules were manufactured in Germany, assembled in shipping containers, pre-certified, tested, and ready to plug into the cooling and power infrastructure at the mine.

Impact #1	The Lefdal Mine Datacenter is powered by renewable energy, making it one of the greenest datacenters on the planet.
Impact #2	The datacenter is cooled by water from a nearby fjord, which helps with temperature regulation.
Impact #3	The high-density rock provides natural protection from electromagnetic disruptions, making the datacenter highly resilient.

Impact #1

The Lefdal Mine Datacenter is powered by renewable energy, making it one of the greenest datacenters on the planet.

Impact #2

The datacenter is cooled by water from a nearby fjord, which helps with temperature regulation.

Impact #3

The high-density rock provides natural protection from electromagnetic disruptions, making the datacenter highly resilient.

Benefit #1	The datacenter has a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of under 1.1, meaning almost all power goes to the equipment, with very little power needed for the facility overhead.
Benefit #2	The cooling system of the mine is a 20% to 30% improvement over current leading-edge design in Europe.

Benefit #1

The datacenter has a power usage effectiveness (PUE) of under 1.1, meaning almost all power goes to the equipment, with very little power needed for the facility overhead.

Benefit #2

The cooling system of the mine is a 20% to 30% improvement over current leading-edge design in Europe.

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Overview

In the Hall of the Mountain Data King

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit