Frequently Asked Questions
What operational threat does volcanic activity represent to ThorDC?
An island roughly the size of England, Iceland’s volcanic activity concentrated on the eastern side of the island. Consequently the populous areas, (and our data centre), are located over 200 KM from any volcanoes on the older western side of the island near Reykjavik.
Settled in 874 AD Reykjavik has had no reported natural catastrophe in over 1130 years of continuous settlement.
Between Reykajvik area and the southern part of the country is a mountain range that further ensures zero influence on the Reykajvik area. The only possible influence a volcanic outburst will have on Reykjavik is ash clouds.
What about ash clouds?
Iceland’s predominant wind and weather pattern flows from west to east as well, so ash plumes are blown far away from the area toward Europe (and the UK!). While Europe was disrupted during last year’s eruption it was business as usual in southwest Iceland.
What if the wind changes?
Our Data Centre employs a closed loop cooling system with additional water cooling solutions, so particulates in air do not affect operation and there is no risk of ash damaging your valuable equipment or interrupting operations.
Could glacial flood caused by eruption interrupt connectivity?
Iceland infrastructure is built for these eventualities. Fibre that passes any potential flood plain is buried 3m below ground and, as a result was unscathed during last years eruption at Eyjafjallajokull which included a glacial flood.
Do earthquakes pose a risk to your data centres?
No. Unlike California, Japan or Italy, Iceland’s seismic activity is characterised by numerous, regular small earthquakes which relieve the pressure and consequent risk of larger earthquakes. Networks are designed with full resilience to address any potential localised damage and protection is built into construction standards, to meet stringent building codes, whilst seismic isolation technology can be used to protect racks and servers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the risks to data centre operation from volcanic activity are both low and predictable. The infrastructure is robust and designed to mitigate the impact of any volcanic events. In addition to offering lower cost and lower carbon emissions, the evidence is that Iceland is also a low risk location. In fact, according to a recent report by Price Waterhouse, when all natural risks are considered Iceland is more resistant to natural disaster than other data centre hot spots like the U.S and U.K.
