Ask announces today that it’s opening a data center in Washington state. From the release:
OAKLAND, Calif. and MOSES LAKE, Wash., July 11, 2007 – Ask.com®, a leading search engine and wholly-owned business of IAC (NASDAQ: IACI), and Moses Lake Mayor Ron C. Covey today announced that Ask.com will house a new data center in Moses Lake, located in Eastern Washington. The eco-friendly server facility will enable Ask.com to support its growing query volume and provide additional computing power for processor-intensive search services, including the new Ask3D. Ask3D combines rich media like images, video and music as well as traditional Web links on a single search results page, helping people find what they are looking for faster.
With the new facility, Ask.com will provide an enhanced search experience for users, while furthering its commitment to environmental responsibility. The data center will be located within the TITAN complex, an efficient, highly secure data storage and telecommunications hub. The TITAN facility has zero carbon emissions, and it utilizes renewable hydropower and a low-energy cooling design.
It’s cool that the center is zero carbon emissions. I pinged Ask CEO Jim Lanzone and asked what he thought was significant about this new data center. In short, he said it’s a sign of growth, of a willingness to make big investments, and a sign of preparations for new things to come (Edison, I’d warrant).
“It’s cool that the center is zero carbon emissions.”
I guess the world has forgotten how destructive hydro-power is. It’s not any better than burning fossil fuels, its just an alternative.
Sorry to go off-topic, but Peter W.’s comment is pure eco-fascist BS. The other good news in all this is now maybe Moses Lake will get regularly scheduled air service again. The last carrier pulled out about a year ago.
OT – sorry Randell
Peter all fuel sources are alternates. Oil is the MOST efficient fuel, so far by a factor of 3. Without it, 20 million per year would starve. Obviously, you don’t care about the human cost; you’re just a one-topic blowhard. The Earth adapts, why don’t you?