Posted on Thursday, November 24, 2016 in Big Data, Data, Storage
One of the most important buildings in Los Angeles, One Wilshire, is to undergo a major refit to increase data center capacity. There is nothing particularly important about the building itself – the true value lies in its contents.
Since the early 1990s, the non-descript office block on the corner of Wilshire Boulevard has grown to become one of the most important network hubs in the mainland United States. Housing more than 30 networks, it is estimated that more than 30% of all trans-Pacific Internet traffic passes through the building every day.
Time for an upgrade
As traditional tenants have moved out of One Wilshere, the building has been gradually given over to data center hosting. Approximately two-thirds of the 30 storeys are now used in an IT capacity.
However, demands for power and increased capacity means that One Wilshire is about to undergo further remodelling to meet the needs of Los Angeles’ businesses.
A data center with a view
The 29th floor of the building has recently become available for rent as the previous tenant rotated out. GI Partners who own One Wilshire have begun the process of preparing the 21,000 square foot space for data center use.
But it’s not just the inside of the building that is so attractive for businesses seeking space in which to run their equipment. The 30 storey building also has an unobstructed view across much of downtown Los Angeles, making the roof an ideal location for deploying microwave and cellular antennas.
Powering up the power supply
With so much equipment hosted on site, the building currently has 22.5 megawatts of power capacity. The ongoing upgrade work will see this more than double to 28 megawatts. GI Partners are also boosting emergency power provisions, augmenting the 11 existing 3-megawatt generators with another 12 units.
The expansion plan also calls for two of the existing passenger elevators to be removed providing additional riser space for power and network cabling to reach the newly refurbished data centers. The building has been nearing riser capacity for some time, with existing risers and stairwell-mounted conduits already full.
Meeting the challenges of the mobile video age
Aside from its proximity to major national fiber routes, One Wilshere is increasingly important for Los Angeles businesses hoping to stay ahead of the mobile video revolution. As users access huge files – like 4K video – from mobile devices, providers must have the storage and bandwidth capacity to assist.
The latest upgrades at One Wilshire will ensure that tenants, present and future, have the bandwidth and capacity to meet the mobile demands of Los Angeles businesses and users. And to ensure free-flowing traffic across the Pacific too.
– See more at: http://www.cds.net/blog/2016/11/one-wilshire-expansion/#sthash.T4zPbksw.dpuf