Silicon Valley chip-maker AMD to open Atlanta data center (Marietta: hotels, home)

[tonygeorgia]

Silicon Valley chip-maker AMD to open Atlanta data center | Atlanta Business Chronicle

Technology firm Advanced Micro Devices Inc. will plant a flag in metro Atlanta, with plans for a more than $100 million data center in Suwanee.

[Mishap]

As much as I like to hear about development in GA, I fear we paid some hefty tax revenues to land what are mostly lights out data centers. Out of that $100M, most of that is likely computer hardware, cooling, and infrastructure, and a few dozen long term jobs at most. If we spent anything 7 figures or over (I'm guessing we did), then its more of GA's style of cutting off our nose to spite our face.

In 5-6 yrs when the hardware has become outdated and the tax break has expired, I'd expect AMD to come by the Gov's mansion hat in hand or be on their merry way to the next state willing to give them a hand out.

[MathmanMathman]

Yeah, data centers are about as exciting as telecom hotels which I believe are very similar. There was some concern that downtown buildings were being acquired to function as telecom hotels which meant lots of switching equipment but not many people. Macy's downtown almost became a telecom hotel.

[cityrover]

amd is not an isp so why would they even need this?!

didnt they mean CALL center and somebody missed up on it and called it DATA instead?

[Caleb Longstreet]

Originally Posted by MathmanMathman

Yeah, data centers are about as exciting as telecom hotels which I believe are very similar. There was some concern that downtown buildings were being acquired to function as telecom hotels which meant lots of switching equipment but not many people. Macy's downtown almost became a telecom hotel.

Mathman,

Macy's DID become a carrier hotel...right now it's basically the home of Level 3, tw telecom's POP and Colocube in the back with teh debris chutes still around....That building was chosen because of all the power that could be had there...that and Macy's, like most big box department stores, was all but on life suport.....The telecom hotbeds of which you infer are 55 Marietta, 56 (3rd largest peering point in the US), 250 Williams Street, 180 P'tree, 101 Marietta St and a few others.....

Good points on the jobs though.....multiple stories with a handful of techs as most only come in to do the work for thier particular employer.....not exactly the job mecca we all had in mind 10 years ago......funny thing about technology, it can outplace it's own faster than those who buy it in the enterprise space....the density of the cabinets/blades is so much now that cooling and power are the primary concerns anymore...not space....plenty of crappy buildings to refurb, just not alot of customers.....

AMD's move is marginally better as at least they have a future! Right now, most of the data centers are playing kill or be killed....tech's version of musical chairs. Telecom. It's the only place where you can sit at the same desk for 10 years and wear 4 different employers badges....amazing...People are fighitng hard for every tech dollar and there is no end in sight for the competition....I wish we could bring in some more developement jobs....high quality, high tax paying base.....almost a good idea...huh?

Ahhhhhhh, technology/telecom....it may not be the end of the world but you can see it from there.....