The Challenge
Building and operating data centers in Alaska’s Interior presents challenges unlike almost anywhere else on Earth. Extreme temperature swings (from -50°F to +90°F), permafrost considerations, limited local expertise, long supply chain lead times, and the critical nature of services hosted for remote communities all demand exceptional engineering and operational discipline.
Between 2005 and 2019, I was instrumental in developing three data center facilities that would serve as the backbone for regional cloud services, telecommunications, and critical infrastructure.
My Role
I served as assistant construction manager for the build-out of all three facilities and subsequently led operations and maintenance programs that achieved unprecedented uptime for the region.
Facility Development
500KW Critical Load Facility
- Primary regional data center serving enterprise customers
- Advanced hot/cold aisle containment
- N+1 redundant cooling and power distribution
- On-site generation with extended fuel capacity
100KW Critical Load Facility
- Secondary/disaster recovery site
- Geographic separation from primary facility
- Designed for rapid failover scenarios
50KW Critical Load Facility
- Edge deployment for latency-sensitive applications
- Compact footprint with full redundancy
- Optimized for remote monitoring and management
Construction Management
- Coordinated with general contractors, electrical contractors, and mechanical trades
- Managed procurement logistics for specialized equipment in remote Alaska
- Oversaw installation of critical power systems including UPS and generators
- Supervised HVAC and cooling system installation
- Ensured compliance with relevant codes and standards
Operations & Maintenance
- Developed and implemented comprehensive O&M programs
- Established preventive maintenance schedules for all critical systems
- Created emergency response procedures and trained operations staff
- Managed vendor relationships for specialized equipment service
- Conducted regular capacity planning and infrastructure assessments
Technical Achievements
Heat Containment & Environmental Control
Alaska’s extreme cold might seem like an advantage for data center cooling, but the reality is the opposite. Free cooling technologies that work in temperate climates simply don’t function in Interior Alaska’s extreme conditions. Instead, we deployed mechanical cooling systems using propylene glycol (antifreeze) in the cooling loops. This is a necessity that unfortunately reduces heat transfer efficiency and increases operating costs.
To optimize what we could control, I implemented hot/cold aisle containment with in-row cooling units that:
- Delivered cold air directly to equipment intakes within manufacturer specifications and appropriate humidity ranges
- Exhausted hot air rapidly using forced mechanical ventilation into return air plenums and back to CRAC units
- Maintained positive room pressure by avoiding outside air introduction, which is critical for keeping dust and pollutants away from sensitive electronics
- Created isolated thermal zones that maximized cooling efficiency despite the propylene glycol penalty
Humidity Management
Interior Alaska winters are long, cold, and brutally dry. This creates a serious operational challenge: maintaining adequate humidity to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD). Without proper humidification, static electricity buildup can damage expensive electronics and compromise service integrity for hosted systems.
Our environmental controls maintained humidity within ASHRAE-recommended ranges year-round, protecting customer equipment and ensuring reliable operations even during the driest winter months when outdoor humidity can drop to single digits.
Redundant Systems Design
Each facility was designed with comprehensive redundancy:
- Power: Dual utility feeds where available, UPS systems, diesel generators with automatic transfer
- Cooling: N+1 CRAC/CRAH units, redundant chiller capacity
- Network: Multiple carrier entrances, diverse fiber paths
- Fire Suppression: Pre-action sprinkler with early warning detection
Remote Monitoring
Operating data centers in Alaska requires exceptional remote monitoring capabilities. I implemented building management and DCIM systems providing:
- Real-time visibility into all critical systems
- Automated alerting with escalation procedures
- Historical trending for capacity planning
- Integration with NOC operations
Customers Served
These facilities supported mission-critical operations for:
- Utilities: Power generation and distribution control systems
- Telecommunications: Core network infrastructure
- Oil & Gas: SCADA and operational technology systems
- Mining: Processing and logistics systems
- Healthcare: Hospital information systems and telemedicine
- Government: State and local agency applications
- Public Safety: 911 systems and emergency communications
- Education: School district IT infrastructure
Results
Over 14 years of operation, these facilities achieved uptime that exceeded industry standards, providing reliable infrastructure for organizations that communities across Alaska depend upon. The design and operational practices I developed proved that world-class data center operations are achievable even in the most challenging environments.