The cool air, renewable energy and available real estate have made the Nordic region attractive for data centers, that rely heavily on natural cooling and cheap energy. Both Facebook and Google have placed strategic server hubs there. However, this relocation of server farms to remote areas requires more cabling and the arrival of the cloud, the Internet of Things and more demand for online access and speed in general add to the demand of power cabling.
But after the Snowden revelations, countries are now more aware of the threat that the U.S. is listening in on them, and local governments are now routing the cables with a geo-political approach to avoid U.S. interference. This decision also involves bypassing U.S. friendly countries such as Sweden and Denmark. Finland just decided to install a cable directly from the land of the midnight sun and the thousand lakes to the privacy conscious Germany. They did not want to pass through Sweden on their way. (Remember that Sweden is the de facto Embassy for the U.S. in North Korea and that Sweden also is controversially implicated in the Julian Assange affair).
Incidentally, Iceland is offering server farms in former NATO bases with a security policy that is seemingly more U.S. critic than Sweden. The EU has made a plan with Brazil to run an underwater sea cable between the European and the South American continents without the reach of the U.S. And the Ukraine crisis is not only about gas pipes. Internet cable structure is also a part of the complex political pathwork there.
And don’t get me started on the Bitcoin backbone. When the cryptocurrency goes mainstream and first mover countries in North Europe begin to adopt the block chain platform, the demand for cool data centers and secure international cabling will be even more critical. Already now, the availability of high speed Internet access is one of the most important parameters for a successful, modern society. Now, the demand for cheap and cool data centers for cloud computing is another important aspect. In the future, which is now, secure connections will be an integral part of that package for both governments, consumers, organizations and businesses.
And with the advent of the block chain to the masses, next generation Internet technology wil take a whole new meaning altogether.
Photography: Google promotional photo.
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