Interest Heats up in Iceland for Data Centers

Increasing energy-efficiency in data centers is an ongoing issue for companies worldwide. For the better part of the last decade, companies have begun moving data centers from large cities to areas where cooling and power are cheaper.

An increasingly popular destination is Iceland, a country that has found itself in severe financial trouble and is looking to turn itself around by becoming a key data center market. Google, IBM, Microsoft, Sun and Yahoo are all planning to open data centers in Iceland, says IceNews.

The tech giants are looking to take advantage of the country's year-round temperate climate, which averages between 40 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Iceland also offers a green power grid boasting geothermal and hydroelectricity. In this Forbes interview, Tate Cantrell, CTO at server hosting company Verne Global, discusses why companies are warming up to Iceland for their data center needs.