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June 23, 2010 By News Report
Photo: Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, right-center, attends a groundbreaking for $110 million data center that will back up the state's data systems.Massachusetts broke ground Tuesday on a $110 million data center that will back up the state's critical data.
Officials say the 148,000-square-foot Springfield Data Center will be a state-of the-art facility that's a national model for green technology. The center is designed to minimize energy use through efficiency measures and other design features. It will be constructed with the latest technologies in energy-efficient data center infrastructure, sustainable building design and consolidated computer technology, officials say.
Construction of the new data center is expected to be finished in 2012. The secure facility will provide backup for the primary data center, the Massachusetts Information Technology Center.
Gov. Deval Patrick attended the groundbreaking ceremony, flanked by Congressman Richard Neal and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno.
"The Springfield Data Center is a project with a multitude of benefits," Patrick said. "In addition to securing critical data used by thousands of state workers, this facility will be a national model for environmentally friendly data storage and an economic boost for the city of Springfield."
The new data center will include fresh-air cooling, Energy Star servers and an advanced energy management system, which Massachusetts says will make the new facility among the most energy-efficient data centers in the country. The facility will use cost-competitive energy sources and a number of sustainability features, including capture and re-use of rainwater, natural sunlight for staff areas and recycling of existing building materials in construction. Facility equipment will also be Energy Star Certified.
When fully operational, the Springfield Data Center will save about $3 million annually on energy costs, according to Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles.
The new data center is part of Massachusetts' strategy to manage technology more effectively by consolidating the Executive Department's 183 data centers into two efficiently managed facilities.
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