-wral.com
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Big Blue is touting its efforts to go green with its new $360 million data center.
On Thursday, IBM unveils its massive collection of data processing computer servers that the company says uses half the energy of a typical complex.
The new data center in IBM’s largest worksite in the world was designed to support companies moving into cloud computing, where the operating and other software are stored at a remote site and used as needed instead of stored on a user’s computer.
IBM owns or operates more than 450 data centers worldwide.
Data center consultant John Boyd Jr. said he expects demand for data centers to grow because financial services reforms and electronic health care records will likely add new record-keeping requirements.
N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue will be among the guests attending Thursday’s unveiling. Bob Greenberg, IBM’s senior executive in North Carolina, is serving as host for the event.
Also attending will be IBM’s Pat Kerin, the general manager for global technology services in North America.
Perdue will meet with media and other guests for an IBM “Town Hall” session about the center at 2 p.m. before touring the facility at 3 p.m.