THE WORLD’S LARGEST DATA CENTER-THE LAKESIDE TECHNOLOGY CENTER

The Lakeside Technology Center (350 East Cermak) is a 1.1 million square foot multi-tenant data center hub owned by Digital Realty Trust. It was initially developed by the R.R. Donnelley Co. to house the printing presses for the Yellow Book and Sears Catalog. This building was then transformed to telecom use in 1999. Today it is the the nerve center for Chicago’s commodity markets, and it houses data centers for financial firms attracted by the wealth of peering and connectivity providers among the 70 tenants.

The major attributes of this infrastructure is that it includes four fiber vaults and three electric power feeds, which provide the building with more than 100 megawatts of power. This facility is presently the second-largest power customer for Commonwealth Edison, trailing only Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Grid power is maintained by more than 50 generators throughout the building, and these generators are fueled by numerous 30,000 gallon tanks of diesel fuel.


One of the most peculiar features of the facility is its cooling system, which is supported by an 8.5 million gallon tank of a refrigerated brine-like liquid. The massive tank acts as thermal energy storage for the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority (MPEA), including the nearby McCormick Place Exposition Center and Hyatt Regency Hotel as well as the building itself. Thermal energy storage can help to reduce costs by running chillers during off-peak hours when power rates are lower.