Where the Internet Lives

Where the Internet Lives

Google

An award-winning podcast from Google about the unseen world of data centers.

Chasing Arrows

Chasing Arrows

Plastics production has doubled in the last two decades, clogging up our oceans and showing up in our organs. The massive growth in plastics production is also increasing CO2 output and driving up fossil fuel demand. Meanwhile, only 8% of plastic actually gets recycled, challenging our trust in the waste management system.But a new set of tools driven by AI, robotics, and material science are helping recycle plastics, steel, textiles, and just about everything else. And a new generation of entre

Nov 6, 2024 • 30:10

Invisible Threats

Invisible Threats

Last March, SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket into space from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It carried more than 40 payloads on board, including a satellite called MethaneSAT, which was designed to track methane emissions around the globe. Cutting methane emissions is a critical step toward reducing the rise of global temperatures that climate change is spreading to communities.In this episode, we have two stories about how data centers – and the AI they enable – are helping to

Oct 30, 2024 • 35:51

Growing a Better Food System

Growing a Better Food System

Dwane Roth is a fourth-generation farmer growing corn, wheat, sorghum, and sunflower in southwestern Kansas. Back in 2016, the state of Kansas launched a three-year pilot designed to test the latest water conservation technologies on three working farms. Dwane’s farm was one of them. Seeing the benefits, Dwane became an outspoken advocate for high-tech approaches to water conservation – approaches that could help restore the critical Ogallala Aquifer running underneath most of western Kansas. In

Oct 23, 2024 • 35:59

Keeping the Lights On

Keeping the Lights On

In January 2024, winter storm Gerri swept across the Midwest, bringing subzero temperatures with it. In Omaha, Nebraska, just as everyone was turning up the heat, the city’s four thermal power plants went offline. Tim McAreavey is the VP of Customer Service at Omaha Public Power District. As the freeze gripped Nebraska, Tim and his team began an all-out effort to enlist the help of their biggest customers to reduce energy demand – including a Google data center.In this episode, we have three sto

Oct 16, 2024 • 39:36

Data on Fire

Data on Fire

According to NASA, nearly two-thirds of all Western wildfires recorded over the past 75 years occurred in just the last two decades. Firefighters and fire researchers are seeing this trend first hand. As wildfires grow more destructive and more unpredictable, fire experts need better ways to account for extreme variability.Now, major advances in AI are helping to predict wildfire behavior, and protect communities across the globe. In this episode, we examine how data centers enable researchers,

Oct 9, 2024 • 40:18

A Preview of Season 4: Resilience

A Preview of Season 4: Resilience

Where the Internet Lives is back for a fourth season. In past episodes, we’ve taken you on tours of data centers, talked to people who run the supercomputers that make up the internet, and showed you a world few people get to see.This season, host Stephanie Wong explores how data center infrastructure is critical for making the world a more resilient place.Over the next five episodes, you'll hear stories about people who are building data-driven solutions for some of the world’s biggest challeng

Sep 25, 2024 • 2:51

Machine Learning Unlocks a New Era for Music

Machine Learning Unlocks a New Era for Music

Hanoi Hantrakul is a musician and research scientist who works on audio and artificial intelligence. He is a former AI resident at Google working on creative applications of machine learning for music. His musical nom de plume is "Yaboi Hanoi."Project Magenta is a research group inside Google that started with a simple question: Can we use machine learning to create compelling art and enhance creative expression?As an AI expert and musician, Hanoi has worked on many different tools that expand t

Jul 12, 2023 • 24:02

A Finnish Paper Town Becomes a Digital Hub

A Finnish Paper Town Becomes a Digital Hub

Mikko Green is an operations manager at Google's data center in Hamina, Finland. In 2012, when Mikko applied to work at the facility, he was excited about the prospect of moving back to the country where his mother was born.Over the years, Mikko has witnessed Finland's broader economic shift toward digital tech, which is now a top industry in the country. Finland is a top global producer of paper. But every year, paper demand falls – putting pressure on the industry. Faced with challenges in the

Jun 28, 2023 • 18:29

From Despair to a Dream Job in the Trades

From Despair to a Dream Job in the Trades

Sarah Hess is one of a million union workers in the U.S. construction industry. But she’s a rare woman in the field. About 90% of the construction workforce is male – a number that hasn't changed much over the past three decades.Oregon Tradeswomen is an organization devoted to helping women like Sarah build careers in construction, manufacturing, mechanical, and utility trades. In 2022, Google gave $150,000 to the organization to support diversifying these industries. It's part of a multi-state

Jun 14, 2023 • 18:47

A Creative Water Solution for a Dutch Data Center

A Creative Water Solution for a Dutch Data Center

The Netherlands has a unique relationship with water. One-third of the country lies below sea level, and almost 20% of the mainland is water – largely due to the 6,000 kilometers of waterways that support industry and recreation.Pumping and diverting and blocking water is what made the Netherlands possible, turning it into a vital European trading hub and top agricultural exporter. But now, the masters of controlling water are facing a new challenge: worsening drought.That’s why Google partnered

May 31, 2023 • 17:13

The ‘Gaygler’ Fighting for Same-Sex Rights in Taiwan

The ‘Gaygler’ Fighting for Same-Sex Rights in Taiwan

Ian Yang knew he was gay at an early age. But it wasn’t until arriving at Google that he felt comfortable opening up about his sexuality – eventually lighting a spark that made him a positive force in the political discussion around LGBTQ+ rights in Taiwan.Ian is an operations engineer at Google’s data center in Changhua County, Taiwan. He ensures that management and training processes run effectively inside the facility. He is also one of the coordinators of the largest Gay Pride parade in East

May 17, 2023 • 18:42

From Trauma to Triumph

From Trauma to Triumph

Note: this episode contains references to sexual assault. Please take care while listening.Data centers are the latest in a long list of big projects that Dave Moody has tackled over three decades running a construction company. But as an aspiring Black architect, he didn’t know if he’d ever have the same opportunities as his white counterparts.Racial disparities didn’t stop him. Dave started with a single $88,000 contract in the late 1980s and grew his company, CD Moody Construction, to build m

May 3, 2023 • 17:48

Data Centers Help Fuel the Solar-Energy Boom

Data Centers Help Fuel the Solar-Energy Boom

A solar-centric world is coming. Solar generates just over 3% of the world's electricity. By the middle of the century, it could make up nearly 40% of global electricity consumption.That growth is made possible by sophisticated manufacturing, maturing business models, and fast-dropping costs. It’s also increasingly enabled by artificial intelligence – and the data centers that power it.Samuel Adeyemo is the co-founder of Aurora Solar, a company using AI to quickly model and execute millions of r

Apr 19, 2023 • 14:02

From Furniture to Fiber, a Town Changed

From Furniture to Fiber, a Town Changed

Lenoir, North Carolina, was once a global furniture manufacturing hub. For Rachel Scercy, the furniture industry was the center of her family life. And then the jobs vanished in the 1990s.Today, communities like Lenoir are often seen as great sites for data centers because of their strong industrial histories. In 2007, Google built a $1.2 billion data center a mile outside of Lenoir, creating over a thousand jobs to date – hundreds in construction, and hundreds of permanent jobs in operations. S

Apr 5, 2023 • 15:21

Data Center on the Prairie

Data Center on the Prairie

In Tennessee, the digital future is merging with the ecological past. Clarksville, where Google has a data center, is home to a fragile ecosystem that has vanished across America: grasslands. What if we could use large campuses like data centers to transform land back into long-lost prairies – restoring ecological diversity and an important piece of American history? Dwayne Estes of the Southeastern Grasslands Institute is dedicating his life to making that a reality.After you listen to the epis

Mar 22, 2023 • 18:11

A Preview of Season 3

A Preview of Season 3

Where the Internet Lives is back for a third season. Over the last two seasons, we’ve introduced you to the technologies and people that run data centers, unveiling a world few people get to see.This season, host Stephanie Wong explores how data centers change the world around them in surprising and transformative ways.We’ll hear stories about economic transformations, technological leaps, human rights, equity, and environmental progress – all enabled by data centers. Subscribe to Where the Inte

Mar 1, 2023 • 1:00

“It Gets My Heart Beating”

“It Gets My Heart Beating”

Few people are ever allowed on a data center floor. Andreas van der Linden is one of those people. Andreas is a data center technician and the maintenance lead at Google's Eemshaven data center in the Netherlands. Every day, he and his team weave through aisles of server racks, making sure all the computers are running optimally.To become an expert at fixing computers, Andreas first had to become an expert at taking them apart. Today, Andreas leads a team that makes sure data center maintenance

Jan 27, 2022 • 10:48

“Scale Beyond Our Imagination”

“Scale Beyond Our Imagination”

Over the years, Majd Bakar has overseen several critical consumer tech advancements inside Google: Chromecast, GoogleTV, Google Nest Wifi, and the cloud gaming platform Stadia. All of them are directly linked to the growth of data centers.From the moment Majd played with his first computer as a kid growing up in Syria, he has pursued a mission of making tech intuitive and accessible.Today, Majd uses his design expertise and biomedical engineering background to focus on personal health at Fitbit

Jan 27, 2022 • 13:03

“Holy Cow, This Is What You Are Building?”

“Holy Cow, This Is What You Are Building?”

Building a data center can be as complex as the machines inside. It requires teams of construction experts who are constantly solving football field-sized puzzles – people like Sarah Godbehere. For Sarah, construction is a family affair. Growing up, she watched her father build schools, car washes, and office buildings. After getting her engineering degree, Sarah realized that she wanted to work on projects with immediate and tangible outcomes. And that led her to oversee construction of Google'

Jan 27, 2022 • 11:40

“The Most Important Things Are Invisible”

“The Most Important Things Are Invisible”

Each individual server stacked high inside a data center is powerful in its own right. But without a way of linking them together, they aren't much use to anyone. It takes a vast collection of switches, cables, and software control systems to create a well-functioning global network. It is Bikash Koley’s job to connect Google’s fleet of data centers – and make that connection seamless and invisible to users.Growing up in India, Bikash first used a computer in high school. It didn’t take him long

Jan 27, 2022 • 14:59

“A Big Step In Our Journey”

“A Big Step In Our Journey”

Storing photos, taking video calls, or streaming podcasts creates heat. To  keep servers cool, many data centers utilize water running through pipes and along server racks.Teams across Google have been working intensively for more than a decade to use water as responsibly as possible. And in September 2021, Google unveiled a comprehensive plan to replenish 120% of the water it consumes, and improve the quality of water ecosystems in the places where it operates. Tara Varghese’s job is to make su

Jan 27, 2022 • 13:21

“Challenges Are Expected”

“Challenges Are Expected”

Mamoudou “D” Diallo's life path has taken him from being a curious youngster in Guinea-Conakry, to an engineering student in Ukraine, to a technology executive in the financial industry, to his role today as a site lead for Google’s data center in New Albany, Ohio. In that role, he addresses the staffing needs of a data center, which are as complex and diverse as the technology itself. Each facility needs the right mix of server technicians, mechanical engineers, networking experts, security sta

Dec 9, 2021 • 14:33

“I Never Thought It Would Be Possible”

“I Never Thought It Would Be Possible”

A hyperscale data center can house hundreds of thousands of servers. All that digital infrastructure requires a vast and intricate set of mechanical systems to keep machines running optimally.Juliana Conroy-Hoey is a mechanical engineer for Google data centers in Europe. She determines how to lay out the pipes and ductwork inside data centers for maximum efficiency and sustainability – the scale of which still gives her a sense of awe.Learn more about building your career at a data center.

Dec 9, 2021 • 10:08

“We Know Who’s Here and Why”

“We Know Who’s Here and Why”

People and information are two of the most valuable things inside data centers. Libby Davis helps protect both.Libby manages security at Google's data centers in Iowa. She runs a large team that monitors every movement inside the facilities – from the outer walls, to the inner sanctum where the servers sit. Libby melded her background in law enforcement, engineering, and organizational psychology to secure one of Google’s largest pieces of computing infrastructure: a data center. Learn more abou

Dec 9, 2021 • 13:08

“I Feel Like I’ve Seen It All”

“I Feel Like I’ve Seen It All”

Modern data centers are like small cities filled with warehouse-scale computers, bundles of cables and pipes, and colossal equipment to keep everything running. Kenny “KP” Philpot is an environmental health and safety program manager at Google's Douglas County data center outside Atlanta. Before running around the floors of data centers, KP was running around the football field, playing for the Detroit Lions. And before playing professional football, he learned hard lessons while growing up on t

Dec 9, 2021 • 15:26

“Little Pieces of a Big Puzzle”

“Little Pieces of a Big Puzzle”

Data centers aren't just warehouses full of computers. They also contain complex arrangements of power equipment, water treatment facilities, and cooling systems that keep computers operating smoothly around the clock. Understanding how all these pieces fit together requires seeing the details and the big picture at the same time – something that Damian Diaz has done all his life, ever since he was a teenager fixing handheld radios in Cuba. Damian fled Cuba to seek political asylum. His journey

Dec 9, 2021 • 13:39

Season 2: More Stories About the People Who Run the Internet

Season 2: More Stories About the People Who Run the Internet

Where the Internet Lives is back.In our second season, host Stephanie Wong explores data centers alongside the folks who actually design, build, and operate them. We’ll hear stories of people who’ve transformed their careers, overcome obstacles, and found inspiration working in the places where the internet lives.Subscribe to Where the Internet Lives on Google podcasts, Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you get your shows.

Dec 6, 2021 • 0:48

Six: The Future

Six: The Future

For fifty years, computer performance has improved exponentially while the cost of computing has plummeted – but this phenomenal “Moore’s Law” trend has begun to slow down. What does this mean for data centers and what lies ahead? In our final episode, we peer into the future of technology – from machine learning to quantum computing – and explore the next chapter in the story of the physical internet.

Dec 10, 2020 • 37:01

Five: What If?

Five: What If?

We’ll cover the mind-boggling “what-if” scenarios that security experts inside data centers prepare for — all to protect user data and keep the internet running. And we'll learn about the multi-layered systems that keep warehouse computers secure.

Dec 10, 2020 • 27:04

Four: A Quest for 24/7 Clean Energy

Four: A Quest for 24/7 Clean Energy

In this episode, we look at the evolution of data center energy use in a world confronting the threat of climate change – and explore promising ideas that could fuel a carbon-free future.

Dec 10, 2020 • 41:03

Three: When the Data Center Came to Town

Three: When the Data Center Came to Town

How do data centers intersect with the communities they call home? What kinds of jobs do they create and what do residents think of having a big computer in their backyard? In this episode, we hear what happens when the industrial economy meets the digital economy in rural Alabama.

Dec 10, 2020 • 41:20

Two: Inside the Walls

Two: Inside the Walls

Data centers are some of the most secure buildings on the planet. In this episode, we invite you to step inside and take a tour with one of Google’s top engineers. As we venture into computer systems that connect the world, we meet the people who keep these warehouse-scale facilities running. Plus, a little-known story about the scrappy origins of Google’s first computers.

Dec 10, 2020 • 40:56

One: You Use Data Centers

One: You Use Data Centers

In our first episode, we explore what data centers are – and how they keep the internet going, even when events like COVID-19 trigger historic surges in traffic.

Dec 10, 2020 • 30:10

Introducing "Where the Internet Lives"

Introducing "Where the Internet Lives"

"Where the Internet Lives" is a new podcast about the unseen world of data centers. In this series, we’ll go inside a data center and learn how the machines actually work. We’ll hear about the early days of Google’s first data center designs — and how they set the stage for today’s hyper-scale facilities. We’ll learn about how data centers are becoming a backbone of the clean energy economy. And we’ll explore how quantum computing, the end of Moore’s law, and new uses of the Cloud are changing t

Nov 20, 2020 • 1:09

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