If you are looking for the different types of data centers, you will find at least 3 types, namely: enterprise data centers, colocation data centers, and hyperscale data centers. Several technology giants, such as Google, Meta, Microsoft, IBM, and Amazon, use this type of hyperscale data center.

The emergence of hyperscale data centers is increasing globally and also in Indonesia, in line with greater adoption of digitization. Are you familiar with “hyperscale data centers”? What are the benefits of this type of data center?

Definition of Hyperscale Data Center

A hyperscale data center is a facility that has the ability to accommodate significantly increasing computing IT loads while still being able to maintain its performance.

Hyperscale also refers to data center ability to scale adaptively.

When comparing an enterprise and a hyperscale data center, the most obvious distinction is their capacity and performance. For these two things, hyperscale usually has greater scalability and performance than an enterprise data center.

Generally speaking, the hyperscale data center should have an area of at least 10,000 square feet and be able to accommodate 5,000 servers.

Another difference that we can find in the hyperscale data center is the greater power consumption and connectivity infrastructure to support faster network connectivity.

Advantages of Hyperscale Data Centers

Through the discussion above, we have a general idea of what a hyperscale data center is. Furthermore, what are the advantages of this type of data center that attracts large corporations such as Google? 

1. Reliability

Most data centers can work reliably, but they still have certain limitations; if the computing IT load exceeds that, the server may potentially experience downtime. This type of data center is suitable for handling predictable computing loads.

However, companies with heavy dependencies on the digital ecosystem often get sudden surge of unpredictable users and workload. This is one of the reliability advantages of the hyperscale data center.

Its ability to scale up servers flexibly makes hyperscale data centers able to handle heavier computational loads with stable performance so that companies do not experience any downtime.

2. Energy saving

Previously, we also mentioned briefly that the difference between hyperscale and non-hyperscale data centers also lies in their power consumption. 

According to data from datacentremagazine.com, the Data Center Enterprise service reports that their power usage effectiveness (PUE) is between 1.67 and 1.8 PUE. Meanwhile, Google’s Hyperscale Data Center reports a PUE of 1.1, where PUE 1.0 is the most perfect level of efficiency.

That means, in terms of power efficiency, hyperscale data centers are generally more efficient with lower PUE, driven by their higher power usage requirements.

3. Less Human Resources Required

Hyperscale Data Centers generally adopt cutting-edge technology and greater automation that enable operations to be performed automatically. This means that in terms of day-to-day operations, hyperscale data centers do not require a lot of human resources to maintain the facility and are less prone to human errors while still providing high level service by leveraging more technology and automation.

Above is the understanding of the hyperscale data center, complete with its several advantages. However, not all companies may require this type of data center; generally, hyperscale data centers are often used by companies with substantially large digital business ecosystems, such as global tech and internet companies such as Amazon, Google and Meta.