Project Overview

The Citadel Campus is the world’s largest Data Center built by Switch Inc. Located in Reno, Nevada, USA, the facility is known as the Tahoe Reno 1. It will cover an area of approximately 7.2 million square feet and will generate up to 650 MW of power upon completion.

The successful delivery of 650 MW of power will help meet a high demand from enterprise, government, and tech clients. Furthermore, the Data Center Campus is wholly powered by renewable energy. 

Through Switch’s mega investment in solar and storage in Nevada, the facility aligns with the motive of 100% green power generation. In addition to extreme physical security, the Citadel offers modular scalability and low-latency connectivity through direct fiber access to major U.S. network hubs.

Citadel Data Center Project Location

The Citadel Data Center is situated in the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center, located in Reno, a city in northern Nevada. The property covers a total of 2,000 acres, and it is situated near technology infrastructure such as Tesla's Gigafactory, Apple facilities, and Walmart. 

Its closeness to the top-tier logistics and technology assets plays a crucial part in efficient connectivity and energy supply. Due to its location in northern Nevada, the facility is less vulnerable to natural disasters and has a maximum cooling efficiency due to the desert climate. 

Project Background

The Citadel Data Center, previously known as the Citadel Campus, is developed by Switch Inc. and it proved to be a milestone in modern data infrastructure. With the continuous expansion in the Citadel Campus, the company has achieved its aim to build Citadel as the world’s largest Data Center. It secured this title from the Lakeside Technology Center, at East Cermak in Chicago. 

The Citadel expansion spotlights the advancement of data centers from small computer rooms to vast, mission-critical facilities necessary for global connectivity. It comes up with low-latency, high-throughput computing capabilities to support Citadel’s algorithmic trading platforms, risk management systems, and machine learning models.

In 2015, Switch announced its plan to build the Citadel Campus at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center. It would be an eight-building complex, covering approximately 2,000 acres, and showcasing a total of 7.2 million square feet. 

In 2017, Switch opened its first building, Tahoe Reno 1, covering nearly 1.3 million square feet. With over 2 million square feet of data center space up and running, the Citadel and its Core Campus are less than 7 milliseconds apart despite being on opposite ends of the state.

Tahoe Reno 1 Colocation

The Tahoe Reno 1, the leading facility at the Citadel Campus, is the most advanced colocation data center. It is equipped to Tier IV Gold standards and located next to the Tesla Gigafactory. It is a 1.3 million square foot data center space, providing up to 130 MW of Power. The completion of the project brings up to 7.2 million square feet of data center space and a total of 650 MW of Power. 

A 20-foot-high, solid concrete wall surrounds it, offering tight physical security, known as the “Technology Fortress”. Furthermore, it supports nearly 42-55 kW per cabinet, enhanced for AI, Cloud, and high-performance IT workloads.

It is linked to Switch’s SUPERLOOP, a 500-mile, multi-terabyte fiber optic network spanning San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas, with circuit latencies of 4 ms to Silicon Valley and 9 ms to L.A. Offers carrier-neutral connectivity, 24x7 on-site NOC support, and direct access to more than 50 global telecom carriers.

100% Renewable Energy Commitment

The Citadel Data Center is a 100% renewable energy-powered facility, sourced through the solar and wind farms in Nevada. In addition to Switch's 100% renewable energy approach, its clean energy index was rated best-in-class according to Greenpeace reports on industry environmental standards.

Project Timeline

Key Features of the Citadel Data Center

• The facility incorporates robust physical and cyber security measures, including 20-foot concrete walls, 24/7 patrolling by highly trained security staff, and a dedicated fire department.
  

• The facility uses Switch’s patented SHIELD roofing system. It is an inner and outer steel roof separated by nine feet, built to withstand winds up to 200 miles per hour, aiding disaster resilience.
  

• Advanced cooling systems, such as direct-to-chip liquid cooling, are implemented to manage the immense heat generated by server operations and the extreme desert environment.
  

• The facility comprises energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy sources, aligning with modern environmental standards to minimize its carbon footprint.  
  

• Incorporating energy-efficient technologies and renewable energy sources, the data center aligns with modern environmental standards to minimize its carbon footprint.  

Key Services of the Citadel Campus 

• Colocation Service: Provide space to its customers to store their servers and IT equipment in a secure environment. 
  

• High Power Capacity: The Citadel Campus offers up to 650 megawatts of power capacity with excess infrastructure ensuring 24/7 availability.
  

• Network Connectivity: The Switch SUPERLOOP fiber optic network offers ultra-low latency connections to major tech hubs like San Francisco and Los Angeles.
  

• Custom IT Solutions: Tailored private cloud solutions and dedicated hosted servers are designed to provide businesses with secure, scalable, and reliable infrastructure tailored to their needs.

Citadel Data Center Project Cost

The total estimated cost for Citadel Data Center is approximately USD 1.3 billion. It includes the construction and development costs of the Tahoe Reno 1 Colocation. The cost further includes site infrastructure, advanced energy systems, modular data halls, integrated security, and connectivity investments to achieve the scale and Tier IV Gold specifications demanded by hyperscale enterprise customers.

Citadel Data Center Construction Contractors

Conclusion

The Citadel Data Center stands as a benchmark in modern digital infrastructure, combining large-scale capacity, robust security, advanced cooling and power systems, and state-of-the-art connectivity for cloud and enterprise customers worldwide. It showcases an exclusive infrastructure built for sustainability, reliability, and future-proof expansion. 

By delivering paramount energy, advanced security, and sustainable operations, the Citadel Data Center not only supports the world’s leading enterprises but also sets new standards for resilience and responsible growth in the data center industry. It reflects a future-ready approach, where technology, sustainability, and reliability converge to power the digital economy at unprecedented levels.

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