Opera Finds a Cool Site for Data Processing

Opera Software is moving its data processing work to a new data center in Iceland, providing a boost to that troubled nation as it tries to rebuild its economy, reports Reuters.

The facility in Hafnarfjrdur, a neighboring town of Reykjavk, will be able to handle about 78 petabytes of data, which the story likens to a trillion Facebook pages.

Opera will send its electronic data traffic through undersea cables operated by the Icelandic telecommunications company E-Farice, according to Iceland Review Online. It quotes Opera founder Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner, saying:

The reason Opera Software came to sign an agreement with Thor Data Center is that the company can offer us energy from 100 percent renewable sources. In coming years, Iceland will be able to provide a more stable supply of energy than most other areas in the world.

The Reuters story notes that the devaluation of the Icelandic crown also adds to the appeal.