The first of four large data centers in Winterthur ZH has been online since December 2021. It’s a massive powerlifter! Together with three other centers still under construction, it will consume as much electricity as the city of Winterthur, with a population of 110,000. It says “landbote”.
In times of impending energy shortages, such great power hunters lose their credibility. Even though the building, operated by the US company Vantage Data Centers, brings 60,000 francs a month for network use to the Winterthur municipal service.
More ugh for the city
Background: Americans buy Pfuus from the Winterthur provider, not the open market. This has consequences: As “Landbote” says, prices have risen 35 percent by 2023. In an international comparison, this is still a slight increase.
For emergencies, Vantage has six powerful diesel generators at home. They will start if the power goes out. A power outage can be compensated for several days. This will have consequences: the city of Winterthur will have more power if the data center goes offline and uses its own emergency power.
Famous Clients
Question: Is Vantage ready to use its generators to help the city? Americans do not want to exclude this. However, they note that this should be discussed with customers, including Amazon, first. (pbe)