They are some of the most awesomely powerful places on Earth. Yet most of us will never get to visit them, even though many facets of our everyday lives depend upon them.
Google has recently opened the doors, giving a peek into some of its datacenters. At the Where the Internet Lives site you can learn about the immense capabilities of Google’s data farms and some of the people who work there.
Microsoft also occasionally gives glimpses into its own datacenters. Here’s a video from 2011 giving a behind-the-scenes view into the technology that Microsoft’s customers use every day without even realising it.
They’re massive, energy hungry and pretty awe-inspiring to look at. But without them our digital lives simply wouldn’t be the same.