Data center
building or room where computer servers and related equipment are operated
A data center is a physical room, building, or facility for storing, managing, and disseminating data and information, including computer systems and associated components, housing IT infrastructure, and training artificial intelligence. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 defines a data center as "any facility that primarily contains electronic equipment used to process, store, and transmit digital information." This includes "a free-standing structure" or "a facility within a larger structure, that uses environmental control equipment to maintain the proper conditions for the operation of electronic equipment." According to IBM, data centers date back to the 1940s, with the U.S. military's Electrical Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) as an early example.
Data centers have different models depending on their workloads. An enterprise (on-premises) model hosts IT infrastructure and data on-premises, while cloud data centers, including hyperscale data centers, house IT infrastructure resources through an internet connection used by cloud service providers such as Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, IBM Cloud, and Microsoft Azure. They frequently contain thousands of servers and many miles of high-speed data connection equipment, with the largest occupying up to 10,000,000 sq ft (930,000 m2). Managed service data centers have third-party managers hired on behalf of a company, which leases the equipment and infrastructure instead of buying it. Colocation data centers allow companies to rent space in an off-site data center owned by others, with the colocation data center hosting the infrastructure while the company provides and manages the components. Edge data centers are smaller, decentralized facilities located closer to end users and devices. In the 2024 U.S. Data Center Energy Usage Report, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory estimated that hyperscale and colocation centers contained 74% of computer servers in 2023.
Large data centers require significant energy to operate, with the largest consuming over 3,000 MW, raising concerns about energy use.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Data center” is building or room where computer servers and related equipment are operated. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Data, center and building, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “building or room where computer servers and related equipment are operated” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q671224. The first chronological checks are 2007, 2024 and 2023.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Data center”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Data center primary sources, Data center archive and Data research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Data center”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Data center” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.