Apple Data Center and Servers FAQ

July 21, 2023  Kate Shapiro 

作为全球最大的科技公司，为超过10亿人提供云服务的苹果公司的服务器和数据中心正在快速扩张。苹果最近专注于采购美国本土制造的半导体芯片，特别是通过与与台积电的密切合作，苹果依然在不断的大力投资其日益增长的美国境内外大型自用数据中心。

As the largest tech company in the world, providing cloud services to over one billion people, Apple servers and data centers are rapidly expanding. While the company has recently focused on sourcing domestic semiconductor chips, especially through its partnership with TSMC, the company is still heavily invested in growing its data center facilities domestically and internationally. 

我们已经整理了苹果数据中心和服务器的相关报道，并编写成了一系列频繁被问及的问题。请看以下的FAQ或者说是“你想知道的关于苹果数据中心的全部信息”。

We’ve compiled our coverage of Apple’s data centers and servers into a series of Frequently Asked Questions. Here’s the Apple Data Center FAQ or “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Apple’s Data Centers.”

苹果公司在美国亚利桑那州、北卡罗来纳州、俄勒冈州、内华达州和加利福尼亚州运营数据中心。苹果公司也在丹麦和中国投资建设了数据中心。其中，中国的苹果数据中心由贵州当地的合作方负责运营。除了这些由自建自用的数据中心，苹果还有一些租赁机房。

In the U.S. Apple operates data centers in Arizona, North Carolina, Oregon, Nevada, and California. Internationally, Apple data centers are operating in Denmark and China. The data center located in Guizhou, China operated in partnership with a local firm and has been impacted by Chinese COVID-19 policy over the past few years. In addition to these Apple-owned data centers, the company leases some data center and colocation space from other entities.

最近苹果公司宣布了未来五年将投资4300亿美元用于数据中心扩建和芯片制造。其中部分资金将用于扩大北卡罗来纳州、亚利桑那州和内华达州现有的数据中心，并在爱荷华州建造一座新的设施。这座投资13亿美元位于爱荷华州沃基当地的数据中心已于2022年开始建造，占地约40万平方英尺，包括使用可再生能源的6个数据中心建筑。这个数据中心项目将为该地区至少创造50个高薪岗位和500个建设和运维岗位。

Apple recently pledged $430 billion over the next five years on data center expansion and chip manufacturing. Some of this money is set to expand existing data centers in North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada, and build an additional facility in Iowa. The new 1.3 billion facility in Waukee, Iowa began construction in 2022. The new 400,000 square foot data center campus will feature 6 data centers, will be powered by renewable energy, and will create at least 50 high-paying jobs in the area. Five hundred construction and operation jobs will be created in the area. 

在国际范围内，虽然苹果放弃建设爱尔兰数据中心，但其正在努力扩建位于丹麦Viborg的数据中心，包括向周围城市供热的余热回收装置。

On an international note, after setbacks in developing a new data center facility in Ireland, Apple is working to expand its Viborg, Denmark data center campus. The expansion includes infrastructure to capture excess heat for usage in the surrounding city. 

按照芯片行动法案（CHIPS Act），苹果敦促其主要芯片制造商台积电在亚利桑那州投资400亿美元，以在美国制造半导体芯片。这一合作允许苹果直接从美国国内采购芯片，从而避免出现在过去几年里影响该行业发展的全球供应链潜在中断事件。

To take advantage of the CHIPS Act, Apple urged its primary chipmaker TSMC to invest $40 billion in Arizona to build semiconductor chips in the United States. This partnership allows Apple to source chips directly from the United States and avoid potential global supply chain disruptions that rocked the industry over the past few years.

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苹果公司在40多个国家从零售店到数据中心的设施都使用可再生能源供电。特别是从2014年以来，其数据中心一直都是由可再生能源进行供电。该公司还承诺在2030年前实现碳中和。苹果公司的总能源目标是通过建立新的可再生项目和投资现有的本地项目，旨在环保方面做出更大的贡献。苹果公司也会从本地提供商直接采购清洁能源，以满足其可再生项目或合作伙伴的能源需求。

Apple's facilities, from retail stores to data centers in more than 40 countries, are powered with renewable energy. Data centers specifically are powered by renewable energy, and have been since 2014. The company also commits to carbon neutrality by 2030. Apple’s overall energy goal is to expand environmental efforts by building new proprietary renewable projects and investing in existing local projects. Energy needs that are not met by Apple’s renewable projects or partners are purchased locally from clean energy providers.

苹果公司在北卡罗来纳州的数据中心由24.4兆瓦时的清洁能源项目供电。这些清洁能源来自于光伏电站和使用垃圾填埋场产生的生物质气体的燃料电池。该获得了LEED（能源与环境设计先锋奖）白金级认证，这也是绿色节能建筑的最高等级认证。

Apple’s data center facility in North Carolina is supported by clean energy projects that generate 244 million kWh per year. The campus is powered by solar farms and fuel cells that use biogas from landfills. The facility is Platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, the highest rating possible to certify energy efficient buildings.

内华达州的数据中心设施由附近价值6000万美元的占地180英亩的光伏电站Turquoise Solar项目供电，向1.1百万平方英尺的雷诺数据中心提供50兆瓦的电力。北内华达光伏电站与内华达州的其他三个可再生能源项目相结合，共产生270兆瓦的电力。

The Nevada data center facility is powered by a $60 million 180-acre onsite solar farm, called the Turquoise Solar Project, delivering 50 megawatts of power to the 1.1 million square foot Reno data center. The Northern Nevada solar farm joins three other renewable energy projects in Nevada that collectively deliver 270 megawatts of power.

预计每年产生62吉瓦时的200米高的陆地风力发电站也正向苹果的丹麦数据中心供电。苹果还投资于位于Thisted附近的太阳能电厂，并选择了“自发自用，余电上网”的模式。

Apple’s European data center outpost in Denmark works in tandem with 200-meter-tall onshore wind turbines that are expected to produce 62 gigawatt hours per year. Apple also invests in a nearby solar farm in Thisted that helps power the campus. All surplus energy generated routes directly into the local power grid.

苹果也在不断地开展数据中心技术创新。以下是其设施设计特点的详细说明： 

Apple is constantly innovating data center technology. Here is a breakdown of the design features of their facilities:

· 冷却：北卡罗来纳数据中心园区在夜间和低温时段充分利用室外冷空气做为冷源，减少了75%冷机运行时间。此外，苹果在北卡罗来纳和内华达设施中启动试点项目，使用站内冷却水处理装置，提高了水利用效率并减少了浪费。苹果密切监测WUE并重复使用水以保持高效和可持续性。这在位于沙漠中的亚利桑那州和内华达州数据中心显得尤为重要。

· Cooling: The North Carolina data center campus uses outside air cooling during night and cold-weather hours to reduce chiller usage by 75%. Additionally, Apple is piloting a program in the North Carolina and Nevada facilities to use plant-based treatment methods for cooling water in order to increase water efficiency and reduce waste. Apple closely monitors water-usage efficiency and recycles water in order to stay efficient and sustainable, which is especially important in the Arizona and Nevada data centers located in the desert.

· 后备发电机：为了减少柴油发电机的碳足迹，苹果安装了排放控制系统以减少有害污染物的排放。操作人员还改进并减少了柴油发电机测试频率。苹果公司正在努力优化设计提高变电站的带载能力，以减少柴油发电机运行时间。内华达州、北卡罗来纳州和俄勒冈州的数据中心增加了一条额外的传输线路，提高了供电可靠性并降低了应急发电机的使用风险。

· Backup Generators: To reduce the carbon footprint of diesel-powered emergency backup generators, Apple installed emissions control systems to reduce harmful pollutants. The operators also improved processes to test these generators less often. Apple is working towards eliminating diesel generators by redesigning substations for higher resiliency. The Nevada, North Carolina, and Oregon data centers added an additional transmission line that improves reliability and reduces the risk of emergency generator usage. 

· 电力：采用较高电压分配数据中心电力，减少电压转换带来的功率损失来提高电能利用效率。利用太阳能、风能、沼气燃料电池和水力发电为数据中心设施进行供电。

· Power: Power is distributed in data centers at higher voltages, increasing efficiency by reducing power losses due to conversions to step the power down within the data center. Energy is delivered to data center facilities via solar, wind, biogas fuel cells, and hydroelectricity.

芯片方面：芯片制造本土化对于苹果来说仍然是一项最高优先级的事项。首席执行官蒂姆·库克宣布，2024年苹果将从台积电的亚利桑那州工厂开始采购芯片。苹果带头向台积电施压，在其亚利桑那州新工厂生产更先进的4纳米芯片，而不是该工厂最初设计用于生产的5纳米芯片。这家工厂制造的芯片巩固了苹果在其数据中心和产品中的芯片供应链。

Chips: Domestic semiconductor manufacturing remains a top priority for Apple. CEO Tim Cook announced that Apple would source chips from TSMC's Arizona plant starting in 2024. The company led the charge in pressuring TSMC to produce the more advanced 4-nanometer chips in its new Ariona plant, as opposed to the 5-nanometer chips the plant was initially designed for. Stateside chip manufacturing from TSMC’s Arizona plant shores up Apple’s supply chain for chip usage in Apple data centers and products. 

可持续性方面：苹果公司正在努力提高现有设施的能源效率。该公司定期审计数据中心业务流程并降低运营成本，要求苹果服务器使用高效率电源。为了提高性能，苹果公司准备进一步开发能源跟踪系统。通过优化流程或翻新设施，来减少每个设施的碳足迹。苹果在其扩建数据中心设施的计划中，包括在北卡罗来纳州、亚利桑那州和内华达州修建新的设施，都将把能源效率放在首位。

Sustainability: The company is working to make existing facilities more energy efficient. The company regularly audits data center processes and identifies cost savings. The company now requires high-efficiency power supplies for Apple servers. The company plans to further develop energy tracking systems to identify performance issues and either change processes or renovate facilities to reduce each facility's environmental footprint. Apple is keeping energy efficiency at the forefront of its plans to expand data center facilities in North Carolina, Arizona, and Nevada and build new facilities domestically and internationally.

社区发展：苹果公司继续向其持续运营的数据中心所在的周边社区投资。随着公司在爱荷华州兴建其新的数据中心，苹果向爱荷华州沃基市公共改进基金注资1亿美元，以支持社区发展。此外，苹果公司还支持爱荷华州一家名为“凯旋公园”的新的66英亩娱乐场所。这些举措是与项目和投资相一致的，以支持当地的劳动力发展、社区服务和环保项目。

Community Development: Apple continues to invest in the communities that surround and sustain their data centers. As the company constructs its new Iowa data center, Apple is investing $100 million into a Public Improvement Fund in Waukee, Iowa that will support community development. In addition, Apple is supporting a new 66-acre recreation area in Iowa called Triumph Park. These initiatives are in tandem with projects and investments to support workforce development, community service, and environmental projects near Apple data centers.

数据中心创新：就数据中心而言，苹果公司正在爱荷华州兴建新的数据中心，并大力投资于扩建数据中心，用于支持其全球范围的云服务。这加强了苹果公司的云服务，并减少了类似2022年3月的重大停机事件的发生可能性。苹果在2020年为数据中心运营商推出4U可机架安装的MacPro，并开始提供技术支持。

Data Center Innovation: As for data centers, construction is underway on the new Apple data center in Iowa and the company is investing heavily in expanding data centers to be able to fully support cloud services across the globe. This strengthens Apple’s cloud services and reduces the chances of major outages, like the one in March 2022. Apple is also dipping its toes into providing other data center operators with support by debuting a 4U rack-mountable Mac Pro for data center operators in 2020.

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