New OHSU Data Center Has Massive Computing Power, Low Electricity Use

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Kirsten Nicolaisen, GoLocalPDX Digital Producer

A new $22 million data center has opened in Portland with new technology and computing power to help OHSU scientists better understand and combat disease.

The dome-shaped building on OHSU's West Campus is called Data Center West, and at full capacity will provide 3.8 megawatts of computing power. This will allow scientists and clinicians gather huge amounts of "big data" for research on diseases.

The data center's unusual design was created and developed by Perry Gliessman with OHSU's Information Technology Group. The design allows it to use ambient air for cooling, instead of the massive air conditioning systems that most data centers use. According to OHSU, the center has an efficiency rating that's 34 percent better than all self-reporting U.S. data centers for 2014.