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The NSA Is Building the Country's Biggest Spy Center Utah Data Center Press Conference - October 2009 Utah Data Center Industry Day Presentation (download) USACE Awards Contract to Build a Data Center at Camp Williams Utah NSA Awards Contract to MIDA for Supplying Utilities Infrastructure for Utah Data Center Balfour Beatty/DPR/Big-D Utah Data Center Project Website Truland Electrical Design/Builder for Utah Data Center 2010 NSA budget request for Utah Data Center Phase One Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for Utah Data Center Utah Data Center Groundbreaking Ceremony Opening Remarks State of Utah Approval Order: Installation of the New Utah Data Center Bluffdale City Planning Commission: UDC Water Requirements IBEW: Everybody is Working - A Data Center Rises in the Desert FY 2013 NSA Military Construction Budget Justification Documents Utah Data Center Facility Support Contract - Sept 2012 NSA spy center: Unsettling details emerge, but director denies allegations NSA Building Massive `Cloud' Center in Utah Desert (video) Safety or surveillance: What is the NSA's Utah Data Center? (video) IBEW Builds Top Secret Data Center (video) Surprise Visitors Are Unwelcome At The NSA's Unfinished Utah Spy Center (Especially When They Take Photos) NSA Groundbreaking Ceremony held for a second CNCI Data Center to be opened in 2016 at Fort Meade FOIA Request - NSA Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Planning Materials New University of Utah program prepares students to work at new NSA center Phone records could end up at NSA's Utah Data Center Utahns rally against data snooping programs, new NSA facility in Bluffdale Al Jazeera video: Biggest spy data centre to open in US state NSA's Utah Home Is A 1.5 Million Square Foot 'Spy Center' Video: "The Program" - Stellar Wind and the Utah Data Center Why the NSA put a data center in Utah NSA in Utah: Mining a mountain of data NSA Bluffdale Center won't gobble up Utah's power supply C-SPAN Video: NSA Utah Data Center White House petition to shut down the Utah Data Center Restore the Fourth Utah Protest Video: Protestors rally near NSA Data Center for 4th Amendment rights Hints surface that NSA building massive, pervasive surveillance capability NSA's Big Dig Blueprints Of NSA's Ridiculously Expensive Data Center In Utah NSA's Huge Utah Data Center: How Much Of Your Data Will It Store? Experts Disagree... Utah Data Center - New Facility. New Jobs. Apply Now. Booting Up: New NSA Data Farm Takes Root In Utah Shhh . NSA's Utah Data Center may be open already NSA security at Utah Data Center stops journalists from shooting video Meltdowns Hobble NSA Data Center The NSA's Hugely Expensive Utah Data Center Has Major Electrical Problems And Basically Isn't Working Anti-NSA group adopts highway to get close to Utah Data Center Utah Data Center Consortium Snap, crackle, pop: Electrical troubles shed light on NSA's data center NSA Failed to Disclose Construction Delays at $1.2 Billion Spy Compound NSA's Utah Data Center Suffers New Round Of Electrical Problems Contractors Fight Over Delays to NSA Data Center Dean-Fluor Utah Data Center Career Opportunities NSA Bumblehive Construction Project Status as of 10/31/2013 (See line 1127) Utah firefighters frequent visitors to NSA data center America Declassified Video: NSA Data Center Utah town gave NSA a deal on water Will Utah cut off the NSA data center's water? What Happens When the NSA Comes to Town Why Does the NSA Want to Keep Its Water Usage a Secret? New water records show NSA Utah Data Center likely behind schedule NSA's Data Center Back in the Shadows After Government Maneuver Diverse Groups Fly Airship Over NSA's Utah Data Center to Protest Illegal Spying Army Corps delayed payments on Utah project tied to Truland More details emerge on Truland's troubled Utah data center project NSA Bumblehive Construction Project 100% complete as of 8/31/2014 (See line 1183) Cray Field Support Engineer Wanted for Utah Data Center's Massively Parallel (MPP) and Cluster Computer Systems NSA has paid Utah $1 million to police entrance on Redwood Road Data flows and water woes: The Utah Data Center
NSA Utah Data Center overview

Utah Data Center


Background

The Utah Data Center, code-named Bumblehive, is the first Intelligence Community Comprehensive National Cyber-security Initiative (IC CNCI) data center designed to support the Intelligence Community's efforts to monitor, strengthen and protect the nation. Our Utah "massive data repository" is designed to cope with the vast increases in digital data that have accompanied the rise of the global network.

NSA is the executive agent for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and is the lead agency at the center.

The 1.5 billion-dollar one million square-foot Bluffdale / Camp Williams LEED Silver facility houses a 100,000 sq-ft mission critical Tier III data center. The remaining 900,000 SF is used for technical support and administrative space. Our massive twenty building complex also includes water treatment facilities, chiller plants, electric substation, fire pump house, warehouse, vehicle inspection facility, visitor control center, and sixty diesel-fueled emergency standby generators and fuel facility for a 3-day 100% power backup capability.


NSA Utah Data Center opening
Utah Data Center Administration Building

 

Click on the Photo Below to View Utah Data Center Up Close at High Resolution

Close-up photo of NSA Data Center in Bluffdale Utah

 

Utah Data Center Technical Specifications


Data Storage Capacity

In February 2012, Utah Governor Gary R. Herbert revealed that the Utah Data Center would be the "first facility in the world expected to gather and house a yottabyte".  Since then, conflicting media reports have also estimated our storage capacity in terms of zettabytes and exabytes. While the actual capacity is classified for NATIONAL SECURITY REASONS, we can say this: The Utah Data Center was built with future expansion in mind and the ultimate capacity will definitely be "alottabytes"!

The steady rise in available computer power and the development of novel computer platforms will enable us to easily turn the huge volume of incoming data into an asset to be exploited, for the good of the nation.

Learn more about the domestic surveillance data we process and store in the Utah Data Center. Also, view our strategy for using the PRISM data collection program, nationwide intercept stations, and the "Boundless Informant" mapping tool to gather and track this data.



Code-Breaking Supercomputer Platform
NSA Utah Data Center supercomputer

The Utah Data Center is powered by the massively parallel Cray XC30 supercomputer which is capable of scaling high performance computing (HPC) workloads of more than 100 petaflops or 100,000 trillion calculations each second.

Code-named "Cascade", this behemoth was developed in conjunction with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to meet the demanding needs of the Intelligence Community.

Our Ultimate Target: 256-bit AES

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm is used worldwide to encrypt electronic data on hard drives, email systems, and web browsers. Computer experts have estimated it would take longer than the age of the universe to break the code using a trial-and-error brute force attack with today's computing technology.

In 2004, the NSA launched a plan to use the Multiprogram Research Facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee to build a classified supercomputer designed specifically for cryptanalysis targeting the AES algorithm. Our classified NSA Oak Ridge facility made a stunning breakthrough that is leading us on a path towards building the first exaflop machine (1 quintillion instructions per second) by 2018. Since the capability to break the AES-256 encryption key within an actionable time period may still be decades away, our Utah facility is sized to store all encrypted (and thereby suspicious) data for safekeeping.

aerial view of NSA Utah Data Center in Bluffdale

Photos of the Utah Data Center

We are pleased to announce that as of 8/31/2014, the Utah Data Center is 100% complete. Here is a nice collection of wintry photos taken in early 2014:


  • NSA Utah Data Center aerial view - 2014

    Aerial view of the Utah Data Center - 2014

  • NSA Utah Data Center Chiller plant and generator plant - 2014

    Chiller plant and generator plant

  • NSA Utah Data Center Administration building and our four data halls - 2014

    Administration building and our four data halls

  • Utah Data Center Administration building

    Utah Data Center Administration building

  • NSA Utah Data Center Visitor Control Center

    Visitor Control Center

  • NSA Utah Data Center massive cooling systems

    Our massive cooling systems at work

  • NSA Utah Data Center water tanks for the chiller plant

    Water tanks for our chiller plant

 

Work at the Utah Data Center

Are you interested in a career in Domestic Surveillance? Check out our Utah Data Center jobs page for exciting employment opportunities.

Operating the Utah Data Center

It takes a large dedicated team to keep a data center up and running. Here are just some of the positions staffed by contractors at the UDC:

Mechanical Engineer
Responsible for mechanical systems, to include chiller plants, cooling distribution, cooling towers, water treatment, air handler units, generator plants, and fuel distribution systems.  More details

Network Engineer
Responsible for Real Time Database and SCADA network.  More details

High Voltage Electrician
Install or repair electrical equipment such as generators, transformers, switchboards, controllers, circuit breakers, motors, heating units, conduit systems, or other transmission equipment.  More details

Mechanical Technician
Responsible for the facility Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems.  More details

Controls Engineer/Electrical Systems Operator
Operate and maintain the Data Center's Electrical Systems providing oversight and incorporating SCADA and EMCS control system changes.  More details

Facilities Control Center Watch Officer
Plan and manage operations, maintenance and all other activities for assigned shift at a 24-hour data center facility to ensure safe, compliant, and productive operations.  More details

Fuel Distribution Operator
Responsible for the fuel oil receiving, storage, and distribution system.  More details

Quality Specialist
Responsible for developing, implementing and administering quality programs and plans affecting compliant and reliable operations.  More details

Systems Analyst
Provides technical support for data center asset management system by performing all database administrative duties.  More details

Master Plumber
Installs, modifies and repairs utility, supply, and disposal systems, and equipment, such as water; mains, oil and gas distribution systems, air compression equipment, water closets, as well as all type of fire protection equipment.  More details

Instrumentation & Electrical Technician
Performs routine maintenance, installation and integration of various types of process control instrumentation equipment such as transmitters, controllers, integrators, recorders, square root extractors and final drive elements.  More details


 

NSA surveillance data center in Utah The Utah Data Center keeps watch 24 hours a day

 

What's Being Said About the Utah Data Center on Twitter

We are Americans first, last, and always. We treasure the U.S. Constitution and understand that a spirited debate is often a necessary precursor to acceptance.

 

Utah Data Center Site Plan

The site plan below shows the location of the administration building, chiller plant, data halls, generators, fuel storage tanks, storage warehouse, power substations, visitor control center, and vehicle inspection facility. View the full-size Utah Data Center Site Plan

 

Utah Data Center Construction Photos:   March 2012 - June 2013


  • NSA Utah Data Center building

    Aerial front view of the Utah Data Center under construction - March 2012

  • NSA Utah Data Center under construction

    Close-up view of a data hall and the Administration building - March 2012

  • National Security Agency Utah Data Center

    Aerial view of the UDC construction site - July 2012

  • NSA Utah Data Center - Computer Hall

    Last two data halls still under construction - July 2012

  • National Security Agency Utah

    Chiller plant, generator plant, and tank storage under construction - July 2012

  • NSA Utah Data Center data hall under construction

    Close-up view of completed data hall and Administration building - June 2013

  • NSA Utah Data Center - Computer Data Halls

    Four completed data halls and the Administration building - June 2013

  • NSA Utah Data Center - June 2013

    Completed chiller/generator plants and fuel tanks - June 2013

  • NSA Data Center - air conditioning units

    Close-up view of the cooling units - June 2013

  • NSA Utah Data Center - warehouse

    Storage warehouse, canine kennel, and sprinkler system water tank - June 2013

  • NSA Utah Data Center - Vehicle Cargo Inspection Facility

    Vehicle cargo inspection facility

 

recent photo of NSA Utah Data Center
October 2013 - Southern end of the Utah Data Center facility

 

Openness and Transparency: Our Cooperation with Privacy Groups

As proof of our genuine concern for privacy protection, we recently gave permission for several privacy groups to fly their little blimp over our massive data center. We would like to thank these airborne privacy pioneers for the stunning photo below of our impressive facility. By allowing harmless publicity stunts like these, we can have our data and store it too.


Utah Data Center - June 2014  (View this stunning photo in full-size)

 

 

The Utah Data Center - On the Map

View the NSA Utah Data Center on Google Maps and Bing Maps

 
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