Pearl Technology gives exclusive first-look at inside of their Bloomington data center
Pearl Technology provided 25News WEEK-TV with an exclusive tour of its 30,000-square-foot data center in Bloomington, Illinois. The facility, operational for 13 years, features a closed-loop cooling system using only 10 gallons of water and extensive power redundancy. It currently houses 80 of its 260 available racks, with capacity to expand to 460.
News outlet 25News WEEK-TV was granted an exclusive tour of Pearl Technology's data center located in Bloomington, Illinois. The facility, which has been operating 24/7 for the past 13 years, provides secure and accessible data storage for its clients, particularly in the event of power failures or disasters.
The 30,000-square-foot data center, situated in downtown Bloomington, consumes energy comparable to a grocery store at its peak. It has the capacity for 260 vertical racks and can expand to accommodate an additional 200, with 80 racks currently in use. The tour highlighted the data center's robust power distribution system, which feeds overhead rails with varying amperage and voltage drops to meet client requirements.
A significant feature of the facility is its small-scale water consumption, using only 10 gallons of water through a closed-loop cooling system that maintains the cooling room at around 70 degrees. This system utilizes a mixture of glycol, antifreeze, and water stored in 250-gallon reservoirs, continuously cycling it through pumps and chillers. The data center also boasts extensive redundancy, including over 3,500 pounds of batteries and two coolant systems, serving as the first line of defense against failures. Pearl Technology staffers emphasized the importance of regional data centers as critical infrastructure for local businesses and community operations.