A plain words guide

Inside a data center.

Explore the equipment behind computing, cooling and power. Every picture is an AI generated illustration of fictional infrastructure. For a real place, open its Atlas record and read the sources.

Illustration of a long server hall. — Illustration

Server halls.

Racks hold servers, storage and networking equipment. Together, they process, store and move information. Layouts vary between facilities.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy design guide, July 2024.

Illustration of glass containment around server cabinet rows. — Illustration

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Cooling and water.

Cooling moves heat away from equipment. Some designs use cooling towers, where water evaporates to release heat. The cooling method alone does not establish a site's water use.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy design guide, July 2024, U.S. Department of Energy, cooling and water.

Illustration of mechanical piping in an equipment gallery. — Illustration

Illustration of server cabinets with cooling distribution equipment. — Illustration

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Power and backup.

Electrical systems carry power to the equipment. Backup systems can include batteries and generators. A backup generator's rated power is different from electricity used by servers.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy design guide, July 2024, Atlas methods and evidence limits.

Illustration of closed electrical cabinets. — Illustration

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Fiber and networking.

Network equipment and cabling connect computing systems. Published operator documents are needed to establish a real site's connections or available services.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy design guide, July 2024.

Illustration of organized networking racks and cables. — Illustration

Illustration of optical network connections. — Illustration

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Heat.

Computing equipment produces heat. Cooling systems move it away. Some designs recover heat for another use; an illustration does not show that a real project does so.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy design guide, July 2024.

Illustration of a machined metal heat sink. — Illustration

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Noise.

Loudoun County identifies cooling equipment and backup generators as possible sound sources. Equipment drawings, sound studies and public records help explain what is reported for a particular place.

Source: Loudoun County, equipment and noise.

Illustration of a cooling fan array. — Illustration

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Construction.

A campus can include buildings, cooling equipment and electrical equipment. A proposal, an approval and physical construction are separate stages. A forecast or permit does not establish that a building has opened.

Source: Loudoun County, campus components, Atlas methods and evidence limits.

Illustration of a fictional building under construction. — Illustration

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Common questions.

What is inside a data center?

Servers, storage, networking, cooling and electrical systems work together to process, store and move information.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy design guide, July 2024.

Do data centers use water?

Some cooling systems use water, including cooling towers. Project documents are needed to establish the water source and expected use.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy, cooling and water.

Do these pictures show real Atlas sites?

No. These AI generated illustrations show fictional equipment and buildings. Real places have separate records with their own sources and location limits.

Source: Atlas methods and evidence limits.

Does a proposed site mean a data center is operating?

No. Proposals, approvals, construction and operation are separate stages. Each Atlas label retains the scope of its supporting source.

Source: Atlas methods and evidence limits.

Illustrations explain general equipment. They are not evidence of a site, its design, its location or an environmental effect. Read how the atlas is made.