title: Data Center Light
---
subtitle: A clean and sustainable data center
---
image: /u/image/cards/datacenterlight.jpg
---
content:

## Introduction

The [Data Center Light](https://datacenterlight.ch) is our radical
different answer to challenges of the climate change and
centralisation.

It is located in Linthal and is part of the [Digital
Glarus](/u/projects/digital-glarus) projects.

## How Data Center Light came into existence

Originally ungleich used to be a Linux/Unix/network consultancy
company. Over the years, more and more customers asking us whether we
provide a space to store their data and to run their applications.
Until the end of 2014 we politely declined and referred our customers
to other data centers or hosting providers.

In 2015 however, we began to re-evaluate whether it is actually
feasible to build a data center in Glarus.

## The three components of a data center

If you consider to run a data center, there are three important
factors:

* space - where to put your servers?
* power - how to power your equipment?
* connectivity: how to be reachable from the Internet?

Our approach from the beginning was to avoid building new buildings,
because there are many empty buildings from the spinning and weaving
time here in Glarus.

After looking around a bit, we found a nice old house, the [Digital
Chalet](/u/projects/digital-chalet), which we started to modernise
immediately and prepare it for a data center prototype.!

The local power company, [TBGS](https://www.tbgs.ch/), a now long time
partner, offered us to help to get proper power connections into the
Digital Chalet.

And as luck turned out, TBGS was also able to provide us with a direct
fiber line. Later we learned that this was actually not so much of an
"accident", but something we could have seen coming:

The valley of Glarus was historically hosting spinning and weaving
companies, most of which used to have their own power plant. The power
plants are usually hydro power plants, supported by the river
[Linth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linth). Nowadays, there are also
some solar polar plants.

Even after the spinning and weaving companies closed, the hydro prower
continue to run. As a grid provider, you need to measure the
production capacity to compensate the producers correctly. TBGS did a
smart move many, many years ago: instead of reading the data via a
slow copper line, they were smart and added fiber lines directly to
the power plants.

And this is the reason why we were easily able to also be connected to
the fiber backbone.


## The growth of Data Center Light

After our initial prototype in the Digital Chalet proved to be
working, we expanded to a bigger area in Linthal, the
[Linthpark](https://www.linthpark.ch/). This area hosts the historic
building of the **Spinnerei Linthal**, which are also modernised and
now provide us with space for running the Data Center Light.


## Why is named Data Center Light?

The "light" refers to avoiding resource heavy and unsustainable
components. We employ the following mechanisms to avoid wasting
resources:

* We only consume 100% renewable energy
* We don't rebuild, but use existing buildings
* We use modern, but used hardware where possible (not for disks/ssds
  though)
* We don't cool our servers

## How does a data center work without cooling?

Instead of using high density racks and putting them next to each
other, we use the available space of the old factory
buildings. Instead of hosting 40 servers on one square meter,  we host
one server on 4 square meters. We can do this, because factory halls
tend to be huge. And in Glarus, they are also available.

## Products based on Data Center Light

In the Data Center Light we offer

* [Virtual Machine Hosting](/u/products/virtual-machine-hosting)
* [IPv6 only Virtual Machine Hosting](/u/products/ipv6-only-hosting)
* [Data Storage](/u/products/data-storage/)
* [Colocation](/u/products/colocation/)

Our objective is to enable people world wide and locally. From easier
working to giving safety to being able to store your data sustainable.
