Iceland: The next data-centre hub?Bloomberg Apr 2, 2012, 05.52AM...

Iceland: The next data-centre hub?
Bloomberg Apr 2, 2012, 05.52AM IST

Housed in a former NATO air base, a new $700 million data center is waiting to host the world's information. Tapping into a ready supply of geothermal energy and cool temperatures, Bjorgolfur Thor Bjorgolfsson, a former banker and the country's first billionaire, is trying to capture a slice of a rapidly growing market: green data centers.

Investment in energy efficient server farms will climb to $41 billion by 2015, according to Pike Research. "Iceland happens to be a rare spot on the earth where there is a convergence of attributes that tick all the boxes," says Jeff Monroe, chief executive officer of Verne Global, Bjorgolfsson's venture. "You have 100% renewable energy. We can do 100% free cooling."