Editing Data center (section)

==History==
[[File:NASAComputerRoom7090.NARA.jpg|thumb|NASA mission control computer room c. 1962]]
Data centers have their roots in the huge computer rooms of the 1940s, typified by [[ENIAC]], one of the earliest examples of a data center.<ref name=Rack.ENIAC>{{cite web|title=Data Center Evolution: 1960 to 2000|author=Angela Bartels|date=August 31, 2011|url=https://blog.rackspace.com/datacenter-evolution-1960-to-2000|access-date=October 24, 2018|archive-date=October 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181024232055/https://blog.rackspace.com/datacenter-evolution-1960-to-2000|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref group="note">Old large computer rooms that housed machines like the U.S. Army's ENIAC, which were developed pre-1960 (1945), are now referred to as ''data centers''.</ref> Early computer systems, complex to operate and maintain, required a special environment in which to operate. Many cables were necessary to connect all the components, and methods to accommodate and organize these were devised such as standard [[19-inch rack|racks]] to mount equipment, [[raised floor]]s, and [[cable tray]]s (installed overhead or under the elevated floor). A single [[Mainframe computer|mainframe]] required a great deal of power and had to be cooled to avoid overheating. Security became important&nbsp;– computers were expensive, and were often used for [[military]] purposes.<ref name=Rack.ENIAC/><ref group="note">Until the early 1960s, it was primarily the government that used computers, which were large mainframes housed in rooms that today we call data centers.</ref> Basic design guidelines for controlling access to the computer room were therefore devised.

During the microcomputer industry boom of the 1980s, users started to deploy computers everywhere, in many cases with little or no care about operating requirements. However, as [[IT operations|information technology (IT) operations]] started to grow in complexity, organizations grew aware of the need to control IT resources. The availability of inexpensive [[networking hardware|networking]] equipment, coupled with new standards for the network [[structured cabling]], made it possible to use a hierarchical design that put the servers in a specific room inside the company. The use of the term ''data center'', as applied to specially designed computer rooms, started to gain popular recognition about this time.<ref name=Rack.ENIAC/><ref group="note">In the 1990s, network-connected [[minicomputer]]s ([[Server (computing)|servers]]) running without input or display devices were housed in the old computer rooms. These new "data centers" or "server rooms" were built within company walls, co-located with low-cost networking equipment.</ref>

A boom of data centers came during the [[dot-com bubble]] of 1997–2000.<ref name=DataM>{{cite magazine|magazine=Datamation|author=Cynthia Harvey|date=July 10, 2017|url=https://www.datamation.com/data-center/what-is-data-center.html|title=Data Center|access-date=October 28, 2018|archive-date=December 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216132242/https://www.datamation.com/data-center/what-is-data-center/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref group="note">There was considerable construction of data centers during the early 2000s, in the [[Dot-com bubble|period of expanding dot-com businesses]].</ref> [[Company|Companies]] needed fast [[Internet]] connectivity and non-stop operation to deploy systems and to establish a presence on the Internet. Installing such equipment was not viable for many smaller companies. Many companies started building very large facilities, called '''internet data centers''' (IDCs),<ref name=IDC2K.NYT>{{cite news|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/14/realestate/commercial-property-engine-room-for-internet-combining-data-center-with-telco.html|title=Commercial Property/Engine Room for the Internet; Combining a Data Center With a 'Telco Hotel'|author=John Holusha|date=May 14, 2000|access-date=June 23, 2019|archive-date=June 28, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240628163920/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/14/realestate/commercial-property-engine-room-for-internet-combining-data-center-with-telco.html|url-status=live}}</ref> which provide enhanced capabilities, such as crossover backup: "If a Bell Atlantic line is cut, we can transfer them to ... to minimize the time of outage."<ref name=IDC2K.NYT/>

The term '''cloud data centers''' (CDCs) has been used.<ref>{{cite journal |author=H Yuan |title=Workload-Aware Request Routing in Cloud Data Center |journal=Journal of Systems Engineering and Electronics |doi=10.1109/JSEE.2015.00020 |s2cid=59487957 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Increasingly, the division of these terms has almost disappeared and they are being integrated into the term ''data center''.<ref>{{cite web|website=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/a-data-center-power-solution|title=A Data Center Power Solution|author=Quentin Hardy|date=October 4, 2011|access-date=June 23, 2019|archive-date=December 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216132243/https://archive.nytimes.com/bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/a-data-center-power-solution/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The global data center market saw steady growth in the 2010s, with a notable acceleration in the latter half of the decade. According to [[Gartner]], worldwide data center infrastructure spending reached $200 billion in 2021, representing a 6% increase from 2020 despite the economic challenges posed by the [[COVID-19 pandemic]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Gartner Says Worldwide Data Center Infrastructure Spending to Grow 6% in 2021 |url=https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-10-07-gartner-says-worldwide-data-center-infrastructure-spending-to-grow-6-percent-in-2021 |access-date=6 July 2024 |publisher=Gartner, Inc. |archive-date=2024-07-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706031816/https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2020-10-07-gartner-says-worldwide-data-center-infrastructure-spending-to-grow-6-percent-in-2021 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The latter part of the 2010s and early 2020s saw a significant shift towards [[AI]] and [[machine learning]] applications, generating a global boom for more powerful and efficient data center infrastructure. As of March 2021, global data creation was projected to grow to more than 180 zettabytes by 2025, up from 64.2 zettabytes in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Petroc |first1=Taylor |title=Volume of data/information created, captured, copied, and consumed worldwide from 2010 to 2020, with forecasts from 2021 to 2025 (in zettabytes) |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/871513/worldwide-data-created/ |website=Statista |access-date=6 July 2024 |archive-date=30 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240830140921/https://www.statista.com/statistics/871513/worldwide-data-created/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The United States is currently the foremost leader in data center infrastructure, hosting 5,381 data centers as of March 2024, the highest number of any country worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Petroc |first1=Taylor |title=Leading countries by number of data centers as of March 2024 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1228433/data-centers-worldwide-by-country/ |website=Statista |access-date=2024-07-06 |archive-date=2022-12-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216132254/https://www.statista.com/statistics/1228433/data-centers-worldwide-by-country/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to global consultancy McKinsey & Co., U.S. market demand is expected to double to 35 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, up from 17 GW in 2022.<ref name="mckinsey.com">{{cite web |title=Investing in the rising data center economy |url=https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/investing-in-the-rising-data-center-economy |website=McKinsey & Co. |access-date=6 July 2024 |archive-date=30 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240830162245/https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/investing-in-the-rising-data-center-economy |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2023, the U.S. accounts for roughly 40 percent of the global market.<ref name="mckinsey.com"/>

A study published by the [[Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)]] in May 2024 estimates U.S. data center power consumption could range from 4.6% to 9.1% of the country's generation by 2030.<ref name="epri.com">{{cite web |title=Powering Intelligence: Analyzing Artificial Intelligence and Data Center Energy Consumption |url=https://www.epri.com/research/products/3002028905 |website=Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref> As of 2023, about 80% of U.S. data center load was concentrated in 15 states, led by Virginia and Texas.<ref name="epri.com"/>