<![CDATA[There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley.]]>There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. Some are indeed quite large, but there are a bunch of smaller ones too - and they are not always where you think!

All of these are publicly known, and you can find them (and ones in your own area) at https://www.datacentermap.com/ .

Let's start with a datacenter that I go by all the time! It's across the street from my grocery store in downtown . It's listed as a colocation facility; datacenters are famously secretive about who their tenants are, but we can guess that it probably hosts servers belonging to nearby businesses, especially ones that want their storage, etc. nearby, but don't want to have to maintain a secure, cooled room. Given the number of banks that have headquarters nearby, I'd bet at least some of them are customers.

This is a fairly little guy, with apparently 16k square feet of floorspace and 1.6MW of power.

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]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/beb366e6-493a-4f2c-a306-5bf2f4ac745d/there-s-a-lot-of-stuff-going-around-about-datacenters-so-i-decided-to-do-a-quick-tour-yesterday-of-some-of-the-datacenters-in-the-salt-lake-valley.RSS for NodeFri, 15 May 2026 05:29:15 GMTMon, 11 May 2026 14:18:33 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 15:09:06 GMT]]>@mdione Most (probably all) DCs will use *a* closed loop where they circulate coolant (probably water, maybe mixed with glycol) to get heat out of the room (or directly off the chips). From there, many use systems that consume water to get that heat out into the environment. It's relatively new that large datacenters are trying to use entirely waterless systems on that side

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116562234340504960https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116562234340504960Tue, 12 May 2026 15:09:06 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 09:16:28 GMT]]>@ricci Utah is already struggling for water, thanks for this info!!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://beige.party/users/MamaLake/statuses/116560847713330891https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://beige.party/users/MamaLake/statuses/116560847713330891Tue, 12 May 2026 09:16:28 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 07:48:17 GMT]]>@ricci wait, most if not all DCs use open loop cooling systems?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://en.osm.town/users/mdione/statuses/116560500993495944https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://en.osm.town/users/mdione/statuses/116560500993495944Tue, 12 May 2026 07:48:17 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 04:39:20 GMT]]>@ricci @Dougfir

And then some.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://iosdev.space/users/jonhendry/statuses/116559758032286481https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://iosdev.space/users/jonhendry/statuses/116559758032286481Tue, 12 May 2026 04:39:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 04:31:46 GMT]]>@wiersdorf This is a good question, so I looked up some numbers.

Two different sources get me something like 3 acre-feet of water per acre for alfalfa in that area: a 1994 report from Utah State: https://waterrights.utah.gov/docSys/v912/a912/a912044e.pdf (see SNWV in Figure 2), and a listing of a huge farm for sale in the Snowville area now: https://www.land.com/property/6034-acres-in-box-elder-county-utah/4545825/ - claims 3895 acres under irrigation using 11.7k acre-feet of water rights.

So that would mean that the Stratus project has secured enough water rights to farm about 4.3k acres of alfalfa (which is about 10% of the land they say they have access to).

So: this is not nearly enough water to farm all of that area with alfalfa (is all of it even suitable for this purpose? no idea), but enough for a big chunk of it.

Of course, Utah is already watering vastly more alfalfa than we can afford to with our limited water resources.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116559728244346274https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116559728244346274Tue, 12 May 2026 04:31:46 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 04:23:21 GMT]]>@jonhendry @Dougfir The developer claims 2,000 workers on site after construction, a number that seems overly optimistic

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116559695133616264https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116559695133616264Tue, 12 May 2026 04:23:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 03:36:26 GMT]]>@bnewbold @ricci

I would assume it provides more room for plumbing, power runs, data cabling, and air handling. And maybe catwalks with easy access to them without needing a ladder or lift.

Silicon chip plants are also taller than you might expect.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://iosdev.space/users/jonhendry/statuses/116559510668418183https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://iosdev.space/users/jonhendry/statuses/116559510668418183Tue, 12 May 2026 03:36:26 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 03:30:35 GMT]]>@Dougfir @ricci

Once it’s built there won’t be many workers on site.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://iosdev.space/users/jonhendry/statuses/116559487647815286https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://iosdev.space/users/jonhendry/statuses/116559487647815286Tue, 12 May 2026 03:30:35 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 03:29:00 GMT]]>@darwinwoodka @ricci

Venture capitalists and pension funds think it’s more profitable to do the former than the latter.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://iosdev.space/users/jonhendry/statuses/116559481464512117https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://iosdev.space/users/jonhendry/statuses/116559481464512117Tue, 12 May 2026 03:29:00 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 03:19:54 GMT]]>@ricci …something about a clean desk being the sign of an empty mind…

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fosstodon.org/users/wiersdorf/statuses/116559445662326538https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fosstodon.org/users/wiersdorf/statuses/116559445662326538Tue, 12 May 2026 03:19:54 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 03:03:42 GMT]]>@ricci just what they need /s

https://grist.org/health/dust-great-salt-lake-public-health-billions/

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/115501125292371729/statuses/116559381978269764https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/ap/users/115501125292371729/statuses/116559381978269764Tue, 12 May 2026 03:03:42 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 03:02:43 GMT]]>@ricci
Considering that gas turbines are around 40% efficient, that means actually 22.5GW of heat will be dumped into the environment.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://flyovercountry.social/users/encthenet/statuses/116559378087069721https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://flyovercountry.social/users/encthenet/statuses/116559378087069721Tue, 12 May 2026 03:02:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 02:57:51 GMT]]>@ricci Earnest question, Rob: if this were built over alfalfa fields, which would most likely use more water?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fosstodon.org/users/wiersdorf/statuses/116559358925778207https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://fosstodon.org/users/wiersdorf/statuses/116559358925778207Tue, 12 May 2026 02:57:51 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 02:28:27 GMT]]>@ricci well all those numbers seem fucking crazy nuts.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/SeismoAllegra/statuses/116559243354470006https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/SeismoAllegra/statuses/116559243354470006Tue, 12 May 2026 02:28:27 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 02:23:33 GMT]]>@richardinsandy my collection of spherical objects is clearly visible, dunno what that says about what's in my head

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116559224093943189https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116559224093943189Tue, 12 May 2026 02:23:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 02:17:36 GMT]]>@ricci I am reminded of a story that I think Kurt Vonnegut told about his brother. Someone commented that the brother’s desk was a mess. He gestured to his head and said ‘If you think this desk is a mess, you should see what it’s like in here’.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://c.im/users/richardinsandy/statuses/116559200690878716https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://c.im/users/richardinsandy/statuses/116559200690878716Tue, 12 May 2026 02:17:36 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 02:16:56 GMT]]>@ricci
I use a CPAP and was thinking of the kind of water I need in that. Adding something to lower the freeze point is also interesting.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/katrinakatrinka/statuses/116559198090964435https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/katrinakatrinka/statuses/116559198090964435Tue, 12 May 2026 02:16:56 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 02:14:57 GMT]]>@katrinakatrinka

I don't know the exact level of purity they go for, but yeah, removing things that could leave mineral deposits or cause corrosion is important

It is often mixed with glycol to lower the freezing point (no idea what Stratos would do, they have given us nowhere near that level of detail)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116559190291197436https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116559190291197436Tue, 12 May 2026 02:14:57 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 02:12:13 GMT]]>@iris a whole lot of surveillance capitalism, I guess

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116559179515130690https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116559179515130690Tue, 12 May 2026 02:12:13 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 02:10:43 GMT]]>@ricci
Interesting! So do you use distilled water for the closed loop?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/katrinakatrinka/statuses/116559173596601124https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/katrinakatrinka/statuses/116559173596601124Tue, 12 May 2026 02:10:43 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 02:08:21 GMT]]>@ricci that is absurd.

I've used a a couple and toured a couple more of the US's largest supercomputer facilities, each of which manages to live in a single normal-sized building. These things run simulations of the universe. My stuff could take hours, maybe a day to run, but I know other stuff running there took weeks or months, on thousands of nodes. The facility I've worked with the most, NERSC, serves about 11k users for scientific research.

I struggle to imagine what you could possibly do with the scale of compute proposed at Stratos, even if it served the entire population of the US.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://neuromatch.social/users/iris/statuses/116559164305042187https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://neuromatch.social/users/iris/statuses/116559164305042187Tue, 12 May 2026 02:08:21 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 02:00:39 GMT]]>I was on the local news about this, lol my office is such a mess

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Closed-loop cooling systems save water, but can be a drain on electricity - KSLTV.com

While closed-loop cooling systems, like the one being touted for a large data center in Box Elder County can save lots of water, they often use more electricity in return, which can impact the environment in other ways, according to Dr. Ricci, a professor in the University of Utah's school of computing.

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KSLTV.com (ksltv.com)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116559134016741803https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116559134016741803Tue, 12 May 2026 02:00:39 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 01:55:24 GMT]]>@skybrian @mjd yes, this is a possibility, and it's probably what they'd say if asked.

I'm not sure it's entirely credible though

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116559113364913425https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://discuss.systems/users/ricci/statuses/116559113364913425Tue, 12 May 2026 01:55:24 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to There's a lot of stuff going around about datacenters, so I decided to do a quick tour yesterday of some of the datacenters in the Salt Lake Valley. on Tue, 12 May 2026 01:52:31 GMT]]>@ricci @mjd Could this be so they don't have to go back for more permits later? (Someone thinking very long term about how much they might build someday?)

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/skybrian/statuses/116559102075889479https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://mastodon.social/users/skybrian/statuses/116559102075889479Tue, 12 May 2026 01:52:31 GMT