In pictures: Where data 'clouds' are stored
Cloud computing is a $41 billion business that's expected to grow by more than 500% in the next decade
Where the cloud lives: Sweden Thirty metres below Stockholm, in a former civil-defence nuclear shelter, Swedish ISP Bahnhof AB’s Pionen Data Centre is the perfect storage facility for sensitive info like WikiLeaks’ files (which are stored there). With its 40-cm-thick doors, Pionen has been compared to a Bond villain’s lair.Christoph Morlinghaus
Where the cloud lives: Toronto Co-location centres like 151 Front St. West are third-party-owned spaces where a firm like Rogers can place its servers next to a competitor like Cogeco’s. In addition to sharing security and maintenance costs, companies link (or “peer”) with each other, which reduces connecting times for users.Peter Andrew
Where the cloud lives: Sweden Unlike Google’s rumoured dozen-plus data centres, Facebook rents much of its capacity from third parties. That’s changing—Facebook’s first data centre outside the U.S. is under construction in Luleå, Sweden, where sub-zero temperatures will help rein in the cost of cooling 28,000 square metres worth of servers.The Associated Press
Where the cloud lives: Arizona Containerized modular data centres like the models eBay installed on the roof of its eco-friendly Project Mercury data centre in Scottsdale, Arizona, are very efficient. Compared to the years required to build a data centre from scratch, containers can be installed quickly, and use less energy—even when it’s 48 C outside.