According to a recent study, the U.S. is the safest place to open a data center. Even with low ratings for natural disasters (remember Sandy?) and a low score for corporate tax climate, Cushman and Wakefield consider the U.S. as the top place among 30 countries to operate a data center. Close behind were the U.K., Sweden and Germany, while Indonesia, India and Brazil were at the bottom of the list.
How does the U.S. compare to other data center locations?
Although images of a waterlogged New York City might make some executives nervous to store their data in a U.S.-based unit, the study found that other issues made up for the threat of natural disasters, such as available bandwidth, ease of doing business, tax, labor, political stability, sustainability and a variety of other considerations. Oregon, San Francisco, northern Virginia, Las Vegas and Phoenix were some of the top places for new centers.
Outside the U.S., Scandinavian countries ranked high on the list, driven by easy access to hydropower and cool climates. Traditional data center hotspots France and Germany were hurt by high labor costs and energy security.
What’s your take? Is the U.S. ripe for continued data center growth? Or do you think overseas locations are better for data center operations?
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