Top 5 Data Center Stories, Week of July 16

The ‘Facebook Effect’ and the Data Center Market - Over the past three years, Facebook’s insatiable demand for data center space has been a major factor in the growth of the wholesale data center industry. Now that Facebook is building its own data centers, its changing needs will continue to impact the market. Facebook says that it will gradually shift its server capacity from leased data centers to company-owned facilities, migrating out of many third-party facilities as its leases expire.

Citrix Systems Acquires Cloud.com - Citrix Systems has acquired Cloud.com in a deal which will boost its position in the cloud computing market. The deal also underscores the growing role of open source software in building and deploying cloud platforms. Cloud.com provides open source software to create cloud computing platforms for service providers, providing Citrix with an infrastructure as a service (IaaS) offering in addition to its XenServer hypervisor.

Texas and Taxes: Relief For Hosting Companies - Does having a server in a data center make your business a resident of the state where the data center is located – invoking the requirement to collect state taxes? Not in Texas anymore, thanks to a bill signed last month by Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

Turbo-Charging Digital Render Farms - The visual effects in summer blockbuster sequels Kung Fu Panda 2 and Cars 2 were generated with powerful workstations and render farms. Here’s a closer look at some of the technology driving those projects.

Pair Plans ‘Grid Zero’ Data Center in Las Vegas - pair Networks recently broke ground on a data center project in Las Vegas that will be powered by a combination of an on-site cogeneration plant and a rooftop array of solar panels, using the power grid only for backup power.