Bach Seat

Detroit Michigan based automaker General Motors (GM) will invest $130 million to build an enterprise data center at the GM Technical Center, in Warren, MI reports Data Center Knowledge. According to the article the new data center, the Information Technology Operations and Command Center, will allow GM to cut operating costs. The savings will come from consolidating GM global IT infrastructure into a more efficient facility.

GM said it will renovate and expand the former Cadillac administrative building on its Warren Tech Center campus. Design is underway on the renovation and construction, with the last phase scheduled for completion in 2015. The project is expected to create 25 high-tech jobs. InformationWeek says the state-of-the-art center will allow GM to merge tech operations spread across many sites into a single facility, reduce IT operating costs, and cut energy consumption by 40%. The company expects the data center to meet requirements for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S Green Building Council.

Michigan to be center of GM IT

DCK reports the new enterprise data center will use a “modular design” to allow for future expansion. Data Center Modular designs often use factory-built structures, but the term is increasingly being used to describe phased build-outs using pods of raised-floor space. The facility will contain IT laboratories to run computer simulations for vehicle designs. It will also serve as a hub for monitoring GM’s digital applications globally. “The Enterprise Data Center will contain technology laboratories and a global information technology operations center that will serve as the hub for monitoring General Motors information technology applications around the world,” GM Vice President and chief information officer Terry Kline told reporters.

New GM Enterprise Data Center at Warren Tech Center

“This new facility and other GM data centers around the world support the tools the company needs to design, build and sell the world’s best vehicles through digital applications enabling all business functions,” said Mr. Kline. “This investment is possible because of the cooperation between GM, the Warren community, and the Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA). We think the result is a win for everybody involved.”

The automaker received a tax credit from MEGA to support the $130 million redevelopment of the computer center. The Warren city council unanimously approved a brownfield redevelopment plan for space at the sprawling Technical Center campus.

rb-

A few years back,  I worked for about 18 months at the Tech Center, at the Vehicle Engineering Center (VEC). The best part of the job was going over to the Cadillac building for lunch. I recall the cafeteria having leather walls and real china with the Cadillac logo.

Related articles

• Inside Amazon’s Data Centers (slashdot.org)

Ralph Bach has been in IT long enough to know better and has blogged from his Bach Seat about IT, careers, and anything else that catches his attention since 2005. You can follow him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Email the Bach Seat here.