(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — The Social Security Administration (www.ssa.gov) announced this week it is incorporating green IT solutions in the design of a new $800 million data center that it is planning on building in the Baltimore area.
According to a February report by Data Center Knowledge, the new data center will use $500 million of its $1 billion funding from the Obama administration’s stimulus plan to build the data center project.
The agency will devote the other $500 million to hire staff to reduce huge backlogs in disability claims.
At the time, the SSA said it was looking to acquire a large piece of land within 40 miles of Baltimore where it would build the new facility.
The data center will replace the SSA’s 30-year-old National Computer Center, which is rapidly running out of space.
The NCC facility stores the earnings and benefits information for almost every American employee, and processes 75 million transactions per day.
Released earlier this month, the green data center project’s plan will include energy-efficient and environmental friendly IT features.
In its plan, the SSA details the proposed data center build: “The sustainability, energy efficiency and environmental impact resulting from the project are dependent on the initial building design, IT equipment selections, and ongoing operations of the data center. We are committed to incorporating energy-efficient IT solutions as part of the ongoing operations of the National Support Center.”
Both the facility’s design and construction proposals are due by October 2010.
Overseen by the General Services Administration, the contract will be awarded in March 2011 with potential that the data center will be done by October 2013.
