Bluebird Network adds 4,700 square feet of white space to underground data center

Bluebird Network says it has begun expanding its Bluebird Underground data center with the addition of 4,700 square feet of white space. This expansion brings the facility's total data center space to 22,300 square feet. According to Bluebird Network, the project is the second of three planned expansions, and is scheduled to go to bid in late May of this year.

Located in Springfield, MO, the current data center occupies 80,000 square-feet of underground mine space. The remaining space will be used for important mechanical and electrical support systems, says the company. Along with the increased white space, the expansion includes a third 2-MW generator, another uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system, and a 10,000-gallon auxiliary fuel storage tank. Bluebird Network says that these additions will enable the Bluebird Underground data center to independently operate for up to four days on generator power, provide further A/B power to customers, and enhance the data center's overall operational performance.

The expansion design will continue to place all elements, including mechanical and electrical systems, underground for operational stability. This design approach provides protection from both natural and unnatural disasters using the data center's native surroundings.

"This expansion will increase the physical size of the data center and will augment our current processes to make the facility stronger," said Michael Morey, Bluebird Network's president and CEO. "We will provide space to meet increased demand while enhancing our overall services."

In 2014, Bluebird Network acquired the underground data center, and announced plans for the three expansions. Finished in 2016, the first expansion added nearly 4,000 square feet of white space. An eventual third expansion will add approximately 7,000 square feet of white space, attests Bluebird Network.

Bluebird Network is comprised of the Missouri and Illinois telephone companies Bluebird Media, Missouri Network Alliance, and Illinois Network Alliance, which connect to each other and to the Internet. With headquarters in Columbia, MO, the network has more than 6,000 fiber route miles of high-speed broadband and fiber-optic connections. The Bluebird fiber-optic network also has over 135 points of presence (PoP) across the Midwest, including Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, Tulsa, Omaha, Des Moines, and Memphis.

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