Hubbry Logo
Utah Data CenterUtah Data CenterMain
Open search
Utah Data Center
Community hub
Utah Data Center
logo
8 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Utah Data Center
Utah Data Center
Utah Data Center
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

NSA's Utah Data Center

The Utah Data Center (UDC), also known as the Intelligence Community Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative Data Center,[1] is a data storage facility for the United States Intelligence Community that is designed to store data estimated to be on the order of exabytes or larger.[2] Its purpose is to support the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI), though its precise mission is classified.[3] The National Security Agency (NSA) leads operations at the facility as the executive agent for the Director of National Intelligence.[4] It is located at Camp Williams near Bluffdale, Utah, between Utah Lake and Great Salt Lake and was completed in May 2014 at a cost of $1.5 billion.[5]

Purpose

[edit]

Critics believe that the data center has the capability to process "all forms of communication, including the complete contents of private emails, cell phone calls, and Internet searches, as well as all types of personal data trails—parking receipts, travel itineraries, bookstore purchases, and other digital 'pocket litter'."[6] In response to claims that the data center would be used to illegally monitor email of U.S. citizens, in April 2013 an NSA spokesperson said, "Many unfounded allegations have been made about the planned activities of the Utah Data Center, ... one of the biggest misconceptions about NSA is that we are unlawfully listening in on, or reading emails of, U.S. citizens. This is simply not the case."[4]

In April 2009, officials at the United States Department of Justice acknowledged that the NSA had engaged in large-scale overcollection of domestic communications in excess of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court's authority, but claimed that the acts were unintentional and had since been rectified.[7]

In August 2012, The New York Times published short documentaries by independent filmmakers titled The Program,[8] based on interviews with former NSA technical director and whistleblower William Binney. The project had been designed for foreign signals intelligence (SIGINT) collection, but Binney alleged that after the September 11 terrorist attacks, controls that limited unintentional collection of data pertaining to U.S. citizens were removed, prompting concerns by him and others that the actions were illegal and unconstitutional. Binney alleged that the Bluffdale facility was designed to store a broad range of domestic communications for data mining without warrants.[9]

Documents leaked to the media in June 2013 described PRISM, a national security computer and network surveillance program operated by the NSA, as enabling in-depth surveillance on live Internet communications and stored information.[10][11] Reports linked the data center to the NSA's controversial expansion of activities, which store extremely large amounts of data. Privacy and civil liberties advocates raised concerns about the unique capabilities that such a facility would give to intelligence agencies.[12][13] "They park stuff in storage in the hopes that they will eventually have time to get to it," said James Lewis, a cyberexpert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, "or that they'll find something that they need to go back and look for in the masses of data." But, he added, "most of it sits and is never looked at by anyone."[14]

The UDC was expected to store Internet data, as well as telephone records from the controversial NSA telephone call database, MAINWAY, when it opened in 2013.[15]

In light of the controversy over the NSA's involvement in the practice of mass surveillance in the United States, and prompted by the 2013 mass surveillance disclosures by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the Utah Data Center was hailed by The Wall Street Journal as a "symbol of the spy agency's surveillance prowess".[16]

Binney has said that the facility was built to store recordings and other content of communications, not only for metadata.[17]

According to an interview with Snowden, the project was initially known as the Massive Data Repository within NSA, but was renamed to Mission Data Repository due to the former sounding too "creepy".[18]

Structure

[edit]
Utah Data Center area layout

The structure provides 1 to 1.5 million sq ft (93,000 to 139,000 m2),[19][20][21] with 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m2) of data center space and more than 900,000 sq ft (84,000 m2) of technical support and administrative space.[6][19] It is projected to cost $1.5–2 billion.[3][6][19][22][23] A report suggested that it will cost another $2 billion for hardware, software, and maintenance.[19]

The completed facility is expected to require 65 megawatts of electricity, costing about $40 million per year.[6][19] Given its open-evaporation-based cooling system, the facility is expected to use 1.7 million US gal (6,400 m3) of water per day.[24]

An article by Forbes estimates the storage capacity as between 3 and 12 exabytes as of 2013, based on analysis of unclassified blueprints, but mentions Moore's Law, meaning that advances in technology could be expected to increase the capacity by orders of magnitude in the coming years.[2]

Toward the end of the project's construction it was plagued by electrical problems in the form of "massive power surges"[25] that damaged equipment.[16] This delayed its opening by a year.[25]

The finished structure is characterized as a Tier III data center, with over a million square feet, that cost over 1.5 billion dollars to build. Of the million square feet, 100,000 square feet are dedicated to the data center. The other 900,000 square feet are utilized as technical support and administrative space.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Utah Data Center

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
The Utah Data Center is a secure computing facility owned and operated by the (NSA) in , designed to store and process vast quantities of data for the U.S. Intelligence Community. Located at facility, it supports NSA's core missions of foreign intelligence collection, cybersecurity, and by providing scalable infrastructure for handling digital intercepts, metadata, and encrypted traffic. Construction began with a in January 2011 at an initial estimated cost of $1.2 billion, with the facility achieving operational status by May 2014 after phased development including a 30 MW initial technical load expandable to 65 MW overall. The design incorporates Tier 3 reliability standards for uptime, infrastructure across raised floors, and on-site support systems to manage high-density server farms capable of petabyte-scale storage, though exact current capacity remains classified. Notable for its resource demands, the center consumes electricity equivalent to tens of thousands of households and requires substantial cooling, prompting local infrastructure upgrades and ongoing expansions as of 2025 to accommodate growing data volumes from global surveillance and cyber defense operations. While enabling advancements in threat detection and code-breaking, the facility has drawn scrutiny for its role in bulk data retention practices, which underpin NSA's analytical capabilities but have fueled debates over scope and oversight in intelligence gathering.

History

Planning and Announcement (2006–2010)

The Utah Data Center's planning originated in the mid-2000s amid the U.S. intelligence community's post-9/11 expansion to handle surging volumes of global communications data for purposes. As part of this effort, the project was integrated into the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI), a classified program initiated by President in 2008 to bolster cyber defenses against threats including and state-sponsored hacking. The center was designated as the first Intelligence Community CNCI data center, emphasizing decentralized storage to support analysis amid exponential data growth. Funding for the facility, estimated at approximately $1.5 billion from classified "" budgets, was authorized to enable petabyte-to-yottabyte-scale storage capabilities, as articulated by NSA Director Lt. Gen. to address cyber vulnerabilities and intercept vast digital intercepts. Public disclosure of the plans emerged in through leaked details and media reports, revealing intentions for a one-million-square-foot complex to consolidate NSA resources previously concentrated at . Site selection favored , at base, due to abundant open land on a secure installation, access to a skilled technical workforce, proximity to reliable power infrastructure near , and relatively low exposure to natural disasters compared to seismically active regions like . NSA officials evaluated over 30 potential locations, prioritizing for its cost-effective electricity rates and water availability essential for cooling systems, alongside minimal seismic history in the selected area. By late 2010, contract preparations advanced, setting the stage for construction awards.

Construction and Initial Operations (2011–2014)

Construction of the Utah Data Center commenced with a groundbreaking ceremony on January 6, 2011, led by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Camp Williams near Bluffdale, Utah. The project, valued at $1.2 billion initially, involved building a one-million-square-foot facility—the largest Department of Defense construction effort underway at the time—under the Army Corps of Engineers' oversight. The structure reached substantial completion by mid-2013, encompassing data halls, administrative buildings, and support infrastructure on a 200-acre site. Full activation faced significant setbacks from electrical system failures at the dedicated on-site substation, which supplies the facility's 65-megawatt demand. From late 2012 through 2013, at least ten arc-fault "meltdowns" occurred, involving power surges that fried equipment, melted metal, and triggered explosions akin to "a flash of inside a 2-foot box." These incidents damaged components worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and perplexed engineers, delaying operations by approximately one year beyond the 2013 target. The NSA mitigated these electrical issues by October 2013, enabling the data center to transition to operational status in 2014. Initial phases emphasized stabilizing power delivery and cooling systems to support high-density computing, marking an engineering milestone in scaling secure, utility-scale data infrastructure despite the early technical hurdles.

Location and Facilities

Site Selection and Physical Layout

The Utah Data Center occupies approximately 247 acres of secured federal land at near , selected for its isolation from urban centers, which minimizes exposure to population-related risks and facilitates secure operations. This location on a installation provides inherent protection through existing defense infrastructure and proximity to rapid response forces, while the region's low incidence of enhances long-term operational viability. Access to pre-existing fiber optic lines supports efficient data connectivity without extensive new deployments. Utah's selection also benefited from the state's business-friendly policies and minimal local opposition, attributed to a supportive populace and available undeveloped land on the military base. The physical layout features a 1 million square foot complex housing four 25,000 square foot data halls for core processing, alongside administrative and support buildings. Perimeter security includes reinforced fencing engineered to halt a 15,000-pound vehicle, integrated into a $10 million anti-terrorism barrier system to deter physical threats. The design emphasizes fortified containment and controlled access points, leveraging the site's military adjacency for layered defense.

Infrastructure and Security Features

The Utah Data Center features fully redundant designed to maintain operational continuity amid potential disruptions, including grids, multiple cable runs, and uninterruptible power supplies. Diverse electrical substations deliver over 11 MW of high-density power, with scalability for additional capacity to support phased expansions. On-site facilities and plants enable self-sufficient cooling operations, reducing to external supply interruptions. The facility's architecture supports modular growth via add-on building modules, allowing incremental scaling without necessitating full-site reconstruction. measures include a $10 million antiterrorism with reinforced perimeter engineered to halt high-impact vehicular assaults. Access controls incorporate biometric verification alongside continuous and on-site personnel patrols to counter both external intrusions and internal threats.

Technical Specifications

Data Storage and Computing Capacity

The Utah Data Center's storage infrastructure consists of custom racks housing high-capacity hard disk drives and solid-state arrays, distributed across four 25,000-square-foot data halls totaling 100,000 square feet of server space. These approximately racks enable raw storage capacities estimated at 3 to 12 exabytes, supporting multi-year retention of data including unstructured formats like voice recordings and video feeds. Initial planning documents from around projected potential scalability to yottabyte levels (10^24 bytes) to accommodate in intercepted volumes, though subsequent blueprint analyses in revised feasible capacities downward to exabyte scales due to physical and architectural constraints. Each rack typically holds around 1.2 petabytes, with designs emphasizing modular expansion for handling diverse types such as encrypted . Computing resources include supercomputing clusters utilizing XC30 systems, configured for parallel processing of petabyte-scale datasets to perform pattern recognition, metadata extraction, and low-latency queries on stored . These systems support high-performance workloads scalable to petaflop ranges, evolving from 2013 modular blueprints to prioritize efficient analysis of raw, high-volume inputs without relying on external processing dependencies.

Power, Cooling, and Resource Demands

The Utah Data Center maintains a baseline power consumption of 65 megawatts to sustain its dense server arrays and associated , equivalent to the needs of roughly 33,000 households. This draw stems from the conversion of into computational work, which generates substantial per thermodynamic principles, necessitating additional power for circulation and dissipation systems. Redundancy includes up to 60 diesel-fueled emergency generators with three-day fuel capacity to ensure uninterrupted operation during grid failures. Heat management relies on an open-evaporative cooling system, which consumes an estimated 1.7 million gallons of daily by leveraging evaporation's absorption to reject thermal loads from servers. is drawn from local municipal sources in the Basin, with monthly usage varying—such as 23.5 million gallons in June 2022—to align with ambient conditions and modes that reduce mechanical cooling demands in cooler periods. Initial commissioning encountered electrical arc faults and equipment failures in 2013, resulting in at least 10 incidents that compromised transformers and delayed full operations. These issues were addressed through targeted testing, repairs, and mitigations by mid-2014, allowing the facility to achieve stable power delivery without inherent design defects.

Purpose and Operations

Role in Signals Intelligence

The Utah Data Center functions as a primary storage facility for (SIGINT) gathered by the (NSA), authorized under , which establishes the foundational framework for collecting, retaining, and analyzing foreign SIGINT to protect . This order directs the NSA to target foreign powers and entities outside the , with collections limited to non- persons consistent with applicable laws, including the (FISA) for domestic-facing activities involving foreign intelligence targets. The center's role aligns with the NSA's statutory mandate to centralize such data, enabling systematic retention of intercepted communications and electronic signals from global sources deemed relevant to foreign threats. Integral to the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative launched in 2008, the facility supports the archiving of global network traffic to facilitate the identification of state-sponsored cyber operations and proliferation-related activities through SIGINT-derived insights. As the designated Intelligence Community data center for this initiative, it processes and stores petabytes of raw SIGINT to underpin cybersecurity defenses, prioritizing data from foreign adversaries over incidental domestic metadata. The center distinguishes itself from ephemeral NSA processing nodes by providing persistent, high-capacity storage for unfiltered SIGINT streams, which permits longitudinal forensic examination and across datasets spanning years—capabilities constrained in fragmented or time-limited systems. This design ensures that historical signals data remains accessible for re-analysis in response to evolving requirements, reinforcing the strategic depth of U.S. SIGINT operations.

Data Ingestion, Processing, and Analysis

The Utah Data Center ingests vast streams of data through high-bandwidth fiber optic links connected to global collection points, including geostationary satellites, overseas listening posts, and domestic telecommunications infrastructure such as switches operated by providers like and Verizon. These inputs derive from taps on at least a dozen major international communications cables and cooperative arrangements with telecom firms, enabling the capture of petabytes daily from sources like phone calls, emails, and . Initial filtering occurs via onboard software at collection stages, which targets by geographic regions, specific countries, cities, phone numbers, email addresses, and watch-listed entities, discarding irrelevant volumes before transmission to the facility. tools, such as those from Narus, scan for keywords, suspicious patterns, and flagged names, prioritizing metadata—like headers and routing information—for bulk archival storage while routing potentially relevant content for further scrutiny. This tiered approach aligns with scalable computing principles, emphasizing efficient indexing over indiscriminate retention to manage exabyte-scale inflows. Downstream processing layers utilize distributed storage systems and clusters for decryption, employing cryptanalytic algorithms on supercomputers to target encryption schemes like AES in selected datasets. techniques, including and , analyze patterns across metadata and decrypted content to identify threats, such as unusual network behaviors or correlations in financial and , thereby focusing resources on high-value . Outputs from these automated pipelines feed into analyst workstations and integrated review environments, where human experts apply oversight to refine machine-generated leads, reducing false positives through iterative validation against raw signals.

National Security Role

Contributions to Cybersecurity and Threat Prevention

The Utah Data Center supports the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) through its role as the Intelligence Community's dedicated data storage facility for related to cyber threats, enabling the identification of vulnerabilities and the provision of warnings to defend against foreign intrusions. Constructed to handle exabyte-scale data volumes, it facilitates real-time and historical analysis of global communications patterns, which underpins NSA efforts to detect state-sponsored cyber operations targeting U.S. networks. This capacity addresses the need for comprehensive amid escalating threats, where adversaries employ obfuscated techniques requiring correlation across petabytes of intercepted traffic to uncover indicators of compromise. In bolstering defensive postures, the facility provides foreign intelligence on cybersecurity threats directed at Department of Defense systems, supporting attribution and strategies against advanced . Operational since mid-2014 following resolution of initial electrical issues, it has enabled enhanced vulnerability assessments for the U.S. intelligence community, contributing to proactive measures like network hardening recommendations derived from SIGINT-derived insights. The center's , including redundant power and cooling systems scaled for continuous high-throughput processing, ensures availability for time-sensitive threat hunting, countering arguments of overcapacity by demonstrating necessity for handling the volume of global data flows essential to preempting widespread breaches. While specific declassified outcomes tying the facility to individual thwarted intrusions remain limited due to , its integration into NSA's broader cyber defense framework has sustained contributions to initiatives like shared threat intelligence with partners, where stored metadata aids in tracing persistent campaigns without relying solely on endpoint forensics. This underscores the facility's value in causal chains of prevention, where long-term reveals temporal patterns in adversary behavior that ephemeral storage cannot capture.

Integration with Broader Intelligence Community Efforts

The Utah Data Center supports synergies across the U.S. Intelligence Community by storing and enabling access to datasets that are shared with agencies including the (CIA), (FBI), and U.S. Cyber Command via secure networks and fusion centers. This data dissemination aids in fusing with from the CIA and domestic investigations by the FBI, facilitating joint attribution of adversarial activities. For instance, NSA-derived intelligence, bolstered by the center's processing infrastructure, contributed to operations by providing communications intercepts used in targeting decisions against groups like , shared with military and interagency partners to disrupt command structures. In national cybersecurity strategy, the facility's role under the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative involves archiving cyber threat indicators that inform vulnerability assessments and defensive measures across agencies. Stored data on network intrusions and patterns has been leveraged to enhance public-private partnerships, such as those countering campaigns by identifying attacker tactics attributable to state actors or criminals. This integration allows Cyber Command and the FBI to operationalize NSA insights for proactive defenses, including disrupting foreign cyber infrastructure. The center's long-term archival capacity provides enduring value for post-event forensic analysis, enabling reviews of complex threats like foreign interference attempts. NSA assessments of Russian cyber operations in 2016, for example, relied on historical communications data to reconstruct and intrusion campaigns targeting systems, with findings disseminated to IC partners for policy and mitigation responses. Such capabilities underscore causal efficiencies in multi-domain , where stored yields insights years after collection through advanced decryption and pattern analysis.

Controversies and Criticisms

Privacy and Civil Liberties Debates

The disclosures by in June 2013 revealed NSA programs involving the bulk acquisition of internet communications, with the Utah Data Center serving as a primary storage facility for data exceeding yottabytes in scale, prompting widespread debate over the scope of domestic . Critics, including the (ACLU), contended that such collection under programs like and UPSTREAM violated Fourth Amendment protections by enabling warrantless interception of Americans' international emails and other data incidentally captured alongside foreign targets, fostering risks of into purely domestic activities. Defenders of the programs emphasize legal constraints under Section 702 of the (FISA), which authorizes targeting of non-U.S. persons abroad without warrants, provided that U.S. persons' data acquired incidentally undergoes minimization procedures—such as masking identifiers, limiting retention to five years unless pertinent to foreign intelligence, and prohibiting dissemination without relevance determinations. These procedures, approved annually by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), are supplemented by and internal compliance mechanisms, including over 200 dedicated officers at the NSA who investigate and report incidents to prevent recurrence. Audits by the Office of the (ODNI) and Department of Justice, as detailed in their July 2025 joint assessment, confirm that the NSA and other agencies adhere to these guidelines without evidence of systemic non-compliance or widespread abuse, attributing isolated violations—such as improper querying—to rather than structural flaws, with subsequent of unauthorized U.S. . Security analysts counter concerns by noting that global flows make purely extraterritorial collection infeasible without incidental U.S. captures, which are statutorily barred from domestic use absent individualized warrants under Title I of FISA, thereby prioritizing foreign intelligence over unsubstantiated fears of totalitarian overreach. This framework, while imperfect, reflects causal necessities of asymmetric threats in digital networks, where targeted foreign yields defensive value without routine domestic exploitation.

Operational Challenges and Environmental Impacts

The Utah Data Center encountered notable electrical instability during its commissioning phase in . The facility experienced at least 10 "meltdowns" over a 13-month period ending in October , triggered by massive power surges that damaged electrical transformers and substation components, incurring repair costs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. These incidents, occurring amid testing of the unprecedented-scale infrastructure, halted computer operations and delayed full activation but were addressed through targeted electrical system reinforcements, enabling subsequent operational rollout without documented persistent disruptions to mission capabilities. Cooling demands present ongoing environmental pressures, as the center employs open-loop evaporative systems necessitating significant freshwater intake in Utah's semiarid conditions. Usage reached a documented peak of 23.5 million gallons in June 2022, sourced primarily from the Basin amid regional drought strains. Per-megawatt water intensity aligns with industry norms for similar hyperscale facilities—typically 0.2 to 1.8 gallons per processed—yet the site's location amplifies local resource competition, though actual consumption has fallen short of pre-construction projections of up to 1.7 million gallons daily through phased efficiencies and variable load management. Power infrastructure integration has sparked localized apprehensions regarding grid loading, given the center's estimated 65-megawatt baseline draw and potential for surges during high-compute periods. Regional analyses highlight data centers collectively as contributors to Western grid vulnerabilities, with facing accelerated demand growth outpacing supply additions. No verified instances attribute systemic blackouts or shortages directly and solely to the Utah Data Center, however; its isolated substation ties mitigate broader impacts, while facility-related economic activity, including and sustainment for hundreds, provides offsetting fiscal benefits to Bluffdale's utility district.

Recent Developments and Expansions

Post-2014 Upgrades and Expansions

Following activation in , the Utah Data Center underwent targeted expansions to support heightened operational demands from escalating global data volumes, including those stemming from Internet of Things proliferation and sophisticated cyber threats. These adaptations emphasized logistical enhancements rather than core data hall modifications, with the existing processing facilities remaining unchanged as of 2024. A key development was the completion of an onsite expansion in 2024, increasing capacity for employee and visitor vehicles to accommodate workforce growth tied to intensified processing. Concurrently, realignment of the NSA access road progressed, with completion slated for December 2024, to integrate with the regional Mountain View Corridor and improve for expanded campus activities. Broader NSA efforts to manage data surges post-2018 involved shifting mission data to classified environments, enabling hybrid architectures that offload processing from on-premise sites like to mitigate throughput constraints. This transition supported handling petabyte-to-exabyte scale ingestion without full facility overhauls, aligning with documented in collected signals. In addressing 2020s incidents such as the supply chain compromise, the NSA bolstered telemetry storage and analysis capacities across its infrastructure, utilizing Utah's repository for endpoint to aid attribution and mitigation. Technical details on hardware iterations, including potential AI analytics integration or updates, remain classified, though the site's initial design incorporated modular scalability for such evolutions.

Planned Campus Growth (2020s)

In February 2025, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a Draft Environmental Assessment for a proposed two-phase expansion of the Utah Data Center Campus in Bluffdale, aimed at consolidating operations and accommodating increased administrative and support needs without altering existing facilities. Phase 1, with construction slated to begin in 2027 and span 42 months, includes a 110,000–130,000 gross square foot (GSF) administrative building for 500–750 personnel, a 37,000 GSF commons building featuring fitness and cafeteria spaces, and a 135,000 GSF , alongside a new vehicle control point. Phase 2, contingent on future funding, would add a 120,000–130,000 GSF administrative building for approximately 500 personnel, a 40,000 GSF security forces facility with an indoor firing range, a 130,000 GSF , and a 20,000 GSF , bringing total post-expansion personnel capacity to 1,250. The initiative focuses on enhancing support for mission-critical data handling and processing through resilient, adaptable infrastructure designed for long-term operational flexibility amid evolving requirements. Total added gross square footage across phases is estimated at 267,000–472,000 GSF, utilizing previously disturbed land to minimize new environmental footprints. Phase 1 is fully funded, reflecting prioritized investments in intelligence infrastructure. Sustainability measures emphasize efficiency to counter operational challenges, including 2 megawatts of photovoltaic solar panels, 500 geothermal boreholes (each 300 feet deep) for ground-source heating and cooling to reduce energy demands and water consumption relative to traditional systems, and a potential 3-megawatt . These elements target net-zero and LEED Silver certification, despite projected increases of 4.2 megavolt-amperes in power demand and 30,000 gallons per day in potable water use (15,000 gallons per phase). Annual emissions are forecasted at 196–1,944 metric tons of CO2 equivalent from 2027–2034, deemed below significant impact thresholds.

References

  1. https://www.nsa.gov/Press-Room/Press-Releases-Statements/Press-Release-View/Article/1630552/groundbreaking-ceremony-held-for-12-billion-utah-data-center/
  2. https://www.nsa.gov/about/locations/
  3. https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2013/budget_justification/pdfs/07_Military_Construction/12-National_Security_Agency.pdf
  4. https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2010/budget_justification/pdfs/07_Military_Construction/10-NSA.pdf
  5. https://www.nsa.gov/Press-Room/Press-Releases-Statements/Press-Release-View/Article/1629584/nsa-awards-a-multi-year-idiq-umbrella-contract-and-the-1st-technical-task-order/
  6. https://www.spk.usace.army.mil/Portals/12/documents/military/NSA_UDC_DraftEA_Feb2025.pdf?ver=k0TcUnGuN8MnKYCH15EOQQ%253D%253D
  7. https://www.wired.com/2012/03/ff-nsadatacenter/
  8. https://nsa.gov1.info/utah-data-center/
  9. https://worldstopdatacenters.com/nsa-bumblehive/
  10. https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/investing/nsa-plans-1-6-billion-utah-data-center
  11. https://techcrunch.com/2009/11/01/nsa-to-store-yottabytes-of-surveillance-data-in-utah-megarepository/
  12. https://www.hpcwire.com/2009/07/06/nsa_plans_massive_65mw_2b_data_center_in_utah/
  13. https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=56472070&itype=CMSID
  14. https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2013/09/23/225381596/booting-up-new-nsa-data-farm-takes-root-in-utah
  15. https://www.bigdatawire.com/2013/08/06/big_data_meets_big_brother_inside_the_utah_data_center/
  16. https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2010/09/army-awards-12-billion-contract-for-nsa-data-center-in-utah/47647/
  17. https://www.spk.usace.army.mil/Media/News-Releases/Article/479232/groundbreaking-ceremony-held-for-12-billion-utah-data-center/
  18. https://www.archnexus.com/portfolio-collections/government/utah-data-center
  19. https://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/10/08/nsa-says-it-has-mitigated-meltdowns-at-utah-data
  20. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/08/nsa-data-centre-utah-electrical-surge
  21. https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/energy-power-supply/nsa-data-center-plagued-by-electrical-problems
  22. https://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/massive-nsa-data-center-hit-by-consecutive-meltdowns-no-one-knows-why
  23. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-24443266
  24. https://spectrum.ieee.org/nsa-data-center-electrical-problems-arent-that-shocking
  25. https://wiredre.com/nsa-utah-data-center-design-delay/
  26. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/11/a-visit-to-the-nsas-data-center-in-utah/416691/
  27. https://www.denverpost.com/2013/11/03/town-looks-to-capitalize-on-nsa-data-center/
  28. https://utahpolicy.com/archive/586-why-the-feds-chose-utah-for-data-center
  29. https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2018/07/16/utah-has-long-stood-one/
  30. https://baxtel.com/data-center/nsa-utah-data-center
  31. https://publicintelligence.net/utah-data-center/
  32. https://www.vocalcom.com/blog/taking-a-closer-look-at-the-nsas-data-center/
  33. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/14/nsa-utah-data-facility
  34. https://www.databank.com/resources/blogs/behind-the-firewall-a-closer-look-at-federal-government-data-centers-in-the-usa/
  35. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2013/07/24/blueprints-of-nsa-data-center-in-utah-suggest-its-storage-capacity-is-less-impressive-than-thought/
  36. https://www.middletownpress.com/news/article/Leaks-shed-light-on-how-NSA-may-use-11852208.php
  37. https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=56718440&itype=CMSID
  38. https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/energy-power-supply/nsa-utah-data-center-facing-unexpected-energy-taxes
  39. https://www.forbes.com/sites/netapp/2013/07/26/nsa-utah-datacenter/
  40. https://www.businessinsider.com/pictures-of-the-nsas-utah-data-center-2013-6
  41. https://www.wired.com/2014/03/nsa-water/
  42. https://www.datacenterknowledge.com/data-center-construction/nsa-data-center-s-water-use-pattern-indicates-economization
  43. https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2024/12/31/voices-utah-data-centers-must-be/
  44. https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2013/10/07/the-nsas-hugely-expensive-utah-data-center-has-major-electrical-problems-and-basically-isnt-working/
  45. https://www.ksl.com/article/27160192/electrical-failures-confirmed-at-nsa-data-center
  46. https://www.nsa.gov/Signals-Intelligence/EO-12333/
  47. https://www.nsa.gov/Signals-Intelligence/FISA/
  48. https://www.nsa.gov/Signals-Intelligence/
  49. https://www.nsa.gov/Research/Overview/
  50. https://www.govinfosecurity.com/nsa-breaks-ground-on-cybersecurity-center-a-3246
  51. https://www.csemag.com/nsa-building-1-5-billion-cyber-security-data-center/
  52. https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/army-awards-1-2-billion-nsa-data-center-contract
  53. https://www.nsa.gov/About/Cybersecurity-Collaboration-Center/
  54. https://www.npr.org/2019/09/26/763545811/how-the-u-s-hacked-isis
  55. https://www.networkcomputing.com/data-center-networking/nsa-utah-data-center-scrutiny-is-misguided-experts-say
  56. https://theintercept.com/2017/06/05/top-secret-nsa-report-details-russian-hacking-effort-days-before-2016-election/
  57. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/09/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblower-surveillance
  58. https://www.npr.org/2013/06/10/190160772/amid-data-controversy-nsa-builds-its-biggest-data-farm
  59. https://www.aclu.org/issues/national-security/privacy-and-surveillance/nsa-surveillance
  60. https://www.intel.gov/assets/documents/702-documents/FISA_Section_702_Booklet.pdf
  61. https://www.dni.gov/index.php/newsroom/press-releases/press-releases-2025/4083-pr-13-25
  62. https://www.csis.org/analysis/reforming-section-702-foreign-intelligence-surveillance-act-digital-landscape
  63. https://www.nsa.gov/Press-Room/Press-Releases-Statements/Press-Release-View/Article/1618699/nsa-stops-certain-section-702-upstream-activities/
  64. https://www.deseret.com/2013/10/7/20527044/utah-data-center-experienced-electrical-failures-nsa-confirms/
  65. https://aspenpolicyacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/Utah-Water-Executive-Summary-2024.pdf
  66. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2053951715592429
  67. https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/nsa-data-center-crippled-by-huge-power-surges/
  68. https://utahnewsdispatch.com/2024/08/27/data-centers-energy-demand-growing-faster-than-supply/
  69. https://www.ksut.org/environment-climate/2025-07-31/in-the-arid-west-ai-data-centers-could-stress-water-resources-grid-capacity
  70. https://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2018/06/nsa-systematically-moving-all-its-data-cloud/149179/
  71. https://www.nextgov.com/modernization/2014/11/nsa-turns-cloud-help-manage-data-deluge/99104/
  72. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-104746
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.