What is a Data Center?
Data centers are giant warehouses that hold computer servers, chips, storage, and networking equipment (aka the hardware that enables computing and the “cloud”). They power everything from flock cameras, Bluetooth surveillance video streaming to social media to artificial intelligence (AI).
Data centers have existed for a long time, for use by telecoms companies, hospital systems, universities, and the government, but we are currently seeing a rapid buildout of much larger, more energy-intensive facilities. These noisy, hot warehouses require immense amounts of power to run, water to cool, and land to build on.
What’s a hyperscaler?
The current buildout consists mostly of hyperscale data centers, also known as hyperscalers. The name refers to their immense power capacity and size, often consuming over 100 megawatts of power capacity… Data centers being developed can use as much electricity as 900,000 households (approximately 1 gigawatt) and consume the same amount of water as a city of 50,000 people.
What is a Data Center Substation?
Core Components:
Functionality:
• Power Supply Chain: Forms the critical first stage of power delivery—receives raw utility power and conditions it for downstream distribution to UPS systems, PDUs, and IT equipment
• Redundancy Integration: Typically designed with N+1 or N+2 redundancy, allowing substations to feed multiple data center buildings independently or provide failover capability
• Load Management: Distributes electrical load across multiple utility feeds or transformer banks to prevent single points of failure and optimize power efficiency
• Monitoring & Control: Provides real-time visibility into power quality, voltage stability, frequency, and load distribution across the entire facility
• Cooling Coordination: Works in tandem with data center cooling systems—power efficiency directly impacts thermal load, so substation efficiency affects CRAC/CRAH unit demand
• Capacity Planning: Determines maximum IT load capacity; data centers cannot exceed the substation's transformation and distribution capacity
• Maintenance Scheduling: Allows planned maintenance windows by switching loads between transformer banks or feeds without disrupting data center operations
• Compliance & Safety: Ensures electrical codes, grounding standards, and arc flash protection requirements are met for the entire facility
Why Data Center Substations Aren't Listed or Labeled as Data Centers
• Functional Classification: Substations are classified as electrical infrastructure/utility facilities, not IT infrastructure—they don't house servers, storage, or computing equipment
• Industry Standards: Data center classifications (Tier I-IV, ISO 27001, etc.) specifically define facilities by their IT operational capabilities, not power delivery infrastructure
• Regulatory Categories: Building codes and zoning regulations categorize substations separately under "electrical utility infrastructure" rather than "data center facilities"
• Security Through Obscurity: Keeping substations off public maps and business listings reduces visibility of critical infrastructure vulnerabilities to potential threats
• Operational Sensitivity: Substations represent critical dependencies; operators intentionally minimize public awareness of their exact locations and capabilities
What is stored at Data Centers?
Flock Camera Data: These are surveillance cameras that capture vehicle license plates and other vehicle-related data for security and monitoring purposes. They are used by law enforcement and communities to gather searchable evidence for large cases and public monitoring.
Infrared Micro-Snapshots: These are small, detailed images captured using infrared technology, often used in mobile devices and computers to enhance security and facial recognition capabilities that are taken on most phones and some devices every few seconds.
Infrared Dot Projections: This technology projects a grid of infrared dots onto a surface to capture detailed 3D information of you, your home and your surroundings. Often used in facial recognition systems to create a precise map of facial features.
Face Scans: Data collected from facial recognition systems, used for identification and authentication purposes in various security and surveillance applications.
Vehicle Biometric Security Data: Information collected like your body language, eye movements, blood alcohol levels from driver monitoring systems in vehicles. This biometric data sensor is required in all new passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. that incudes a kill switch, vehicle limitation and impairment detection.
Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) Data: This technology identifies and catalogs media content by recognizing audio and visual elements recorded from your devices in your home, used in smart TVs and streaming services to tailor content recommendations.
School Laptop Monitoring Programs: Data collected from software installed on school-issued laptops to monitor student activity, ensuring compliance with educational standards and security protocols that allow the teacher and school board to look through your students camera.
RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification): This technology uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. It is commonly used for inventory management and access control.
SignalTrace: An add-on for Flock cameras that enhances surveillance capabilities by providing more detailed tracking and monitoring features by connecting to your license plate, pet chips, ear buds, smart watches etc.
Home Security Footage: Video data collected from home security systems, used for monitoring and protecting residential properties.
Medical Records: Digitized health information stored in data centers, including patient histories, lab results, and treatment plans, used by healthcare providers for patient care.
Financial Information: Data related to personal or organizational finances, including bank account details, transaction records, and credit histories, stored for financial management and security purposes.