Yahoo builds "chicken coup" data center

With all the innovations being made in data center technology, the last thing one would expect to hear is a company like Yahoo going back in time to improve its efficiency. But that’s exactly what the company did when it modeled its new Lockport, NY, data center after chicken coop.

The facility consists of several long, narrow metal structures. Air flows in from outside and exits at the top through chimneys, just like in a chicken coop. According to Scott Noteboom, the Director of Data Center Operations at Yahoo, the idea came from chicken giant Tyson bards.

The Internet company estimates that the data center will be able to take advantage of free cooling most of the year, except for around nine days in the summer when temperatures are too warm. The new design cuts cooling costs by as much as 50%.

Photo | Flickr