As hyperscalers rush to construct huge new information facilities to deal with the AI increase, one firm is taking a distinct strategy: changing present city buildings into information facilities.
Patmos has expanded its AI information middle in downtown Kansas Metropolis, Miss., including substantial colocation area for high-density GPU, HPC, and AI infrastructure. The mission transforms the previous Kansas Metropolis Star constructing into the brand new facility.
The corporate stated the enhancements to the 360,000-square-foot facility add 10 MW of recent colocation area, bringing the entire web site capability to 35 MW. The corporate famous that it might probably present rack-ready colocation area in increments of two.5 MW, supporting densities of 100 kW or extra per rack.
The positioning, generally known as the Patmos AI Campus, extends past conventional information middle capabilities, incorporating workplace area, convention services, and areas for leisure and social occasions. Patmos has related tasks in Dallas and Phoenix.
Joe Morgan, Patmos’ COO, stated the downtown places supply prepared entry to power infrastructure and utilities. The corporate expects a complete funding of $1 billion because the mission progresses.
“It’s a part of our technique,” Morgan informed DCN in an interview. “We’re not constructing a concrete castle-type complicated like your conventional information middle. … We want brownfield places, and so they give us a few totally different benefits: One, the buildings normally have some present infrastructure, and two, there’s chilled water capability available.”
Morgan highlighted further advantages of dense city placement past infrastructure benefits.
“We actually need one thing that integrates with the group and brings extra tech jobs to the native space,” he stated. “That helps push again from the concept we’re simply constructing huge power-sucking information facilities. We attempt to make it extra part of a much bigger mission.”
Nonetheless, communities are emotionally connected to their downtown areas. Patmos did get some pushback from neighbors involved concerning the potential influence, prompting a complete outreach technique.
“It was about educating the group,” Morgan defined. “I personally went door-to-door proper across the constructing. We joined the neighborhood affiliation. We had a devoted assembly with the group and defined the issues that we have been doing that have been going to be totally different. It was a very pleasurable expertise as a result of I bought to be taught concerning the particular points that individuals take care of within the space.”
Working in a high traffic space, safety is a significant concern. Patmos displays the property 24 hours a day with armed guards, cameras, and a surveillance robotic outfitted with evening imaginative and prescient that patrols the grounds. “It’s troublesome to cowl all the space. … The robotic can go in and assess the state of affairs,” Morgan stated.
In accordance with Morgan, crime within the surrounding space has decreased for the reason that information middle got here on-line final yr.
A Massive Tech Different
Patmos began as a internet hosting service centered on free speech, positioning itself as an “different to Massive Tech’s business constraints, censorship, cancellation and deplatforming.” Notable shoppers embrace controversial political commentator and podcaster Candace Owens.
“We don’t essentially agree with all the things that individuals on our platform say on both aspect, however we positively consider within the skill to have a voice and for that voice to be heard,” Morgan stated. “To be able to try this, our shoppers must have ensures in place that you just’re not going to get kicked out of the place you’re hosted at.”
Buying and constructing information facilities permits Patmos to personal the infrastructure. “It permits us to construct a safe and dependable infrastructure for our internet hosting platform,” he added.
The corporate is eyeing extra websites across the nation for related city information middle tasks. “We’re presently taking a look at St. Louis as a possible market,” he stated.
