A Complete Guide to Data Center Site Selection

Project site selection is the starting point for the overall planning and layout of the project. Determining the location of a data center involves the company's development strategy, and the site selection decision should be made based on the total cost of ownership (TCO) of the project, as well as short-term and long-term goals.

The site selection of a data center is a Feng Shui discipline that emphasizes the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. A data center is not just a building within a wall, which is self-contained. It is naturally affected by all factors outside the wall. It is necessary to consider the local natural geographical conditions, stay away from areas prone to geological disasters, especially earthquake zones and mudslides, avoid typhoons and floods, and choose a relatively high altitude and flat land in the same area, and then understand the geological conditions through geological surveys.

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In the early years, data centers were all built around the network. Servers were placed wherever there was traffic and network resources. Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen were typical business-driven locations.

Another category is Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Tianjin. They are all located in the sub-centers next to huge metropolitan areas. For example, the relationship between Hangzhou and Shanghai is more about balancing business needs and resource conditions. The first two categories are typical market-driven, and they are also the areas with the most seller's market for data centers.

The distance between the data center and the customer is also very critical. Some bank customers have very high requirements for network latency, so the distance between the data center and the customer's psychological expectations has a lot to do with it. We always hope that valuable items - data - are closer to us, so that we can see them frequently and conveniently, whether it is the data itself or the server cabinet that carries the data.

Now the scale of data centers is getting bigger and bigger. We need to maintain the scalability or sustainability of data centers, so electricity and water are very critical. The site selection of data centers is often subject to the restrictions of energy consumption indicators. Now the energy consumption indicators in Hangzhou are very tight. After Fuchun Cloud solved the relevant indicators, Fuchun Cloud Internet Data Center was able to settle in Fuyang.

In addition, we also need to compare various electricity costs. In other words, the cost of the power source per kilowatt-hour must be low enough, and whether there are alternative energy sources, such as solar energy, wind energy and other renewable energy, which will help companies create a greener corporate image.

Ideally, the policy of the project location supports the development of the big data industry, and the local government is responsible for solving energy consumption indicators. Before determining the plot, fully communicate with the local power bureau, water company, etc. to fully communicate whether the supply capacity is sufficient. If new supporting facilities are built, relevant path planning and policy processing issues must be considered. At the same time, communicate with telecom operators (possibly more than one) for network resources to ensure that the routes are sufficient and secure.

Local policy support is also very important. Land purchase discounts, supporting facilities, tax rebates, talent policies, etc. are all important factors in company location selection.

Convenient transportation is another important factor affecting site selection. The construction and delivery of data centers depend on whether relevant suppliers can easily reach the location of the data center.

The choice of a data center address naturally needs to be analyzed based on the specific circumstances of each company.

General site selection steps:

1. Scope of work and requirements: Site selection requires extensive consideration of the opinions of stakeholders and their requirements for site selection;

2. Preliminary review of alternative locations: review and approve the relevant alternative locations based on the needs of all parties;

3. On-site inspection: Invite relevant expert teams to visit the site, hold talks with local government departments and various service providers, and prepare detailed meeting minutes;

4. Further analysis of the candidate list: After careful investigation and analysis, the top four candidate sites are analyzed using a weighted scoring method based on various factors;

5. Further detailed investigation and analysis: detailed discussions with stakeholders, review of actual data, research reports, etc., taking into account all the factors mentioned above;

6. Recommend alternative sites for final approval: Issue a detailed survey report, further analyze relevant data, and make further site selection recommendations to obtain final approval from corporate leadership.