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OVH’s Beauharnois data center, outside Montreal, was presented in January 2013 as a major step in the company’s North American expansion. The report described a converted aluminum plant, hydroelectric power and cooling designed to work without air conditioning; it said the facility could eventually hold 360,000 servers. That figure—and the report’s efficiency claim—are historical claims, not current operating measurements.
Where is OVH’s Quebec data center?
The site is in Beauharnois, Quebec, outside Montreal. Data Center Knowledge reported its official opening on January 17, 2013, describing it as OVH’s North American presence. OVHcloud’s current infrastructure page lists a broader region called Montreal (Beauharnois), with an opening year of 2012, eight data centers and one availability zone. Those region-level inventory figures are distinct from the 2013 report about the facility and may change over time. Data Center Knowledge’s 2013 report; OVHcloud’s global infrastructure locations.
How many servers could the facility hold?
Data Center Knowledge reported an eventual capacity of 360,000 servers for the Beauharnois facility. This was a projected capacity figure in the 2013 article, not a verified current server count or an occupancy figure. The current regional listing does not establish how many servers operate at the site today. Data Center Knowledge, January 17, 2013.
How did the reported design reduce energy use?
Reusing an industrial building
The 2013 account said OVH adapted a former Rio Tinto Alcan aluminum plant for the data center. OVHcloud’s sustainability material says its data centers are mainly rehabilitated buildings, but that corporate description is not an independent lifecycle assessment of the Beauharnois site. Data Center Knowledge’s report; OVHcloud’s sustainability page.
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Hydroelectric power and airflow cooling
According to the 2013 report, the site used hydroelectric power from a dam about 300 meters away. It described an airflow arrangement in which waste heat rose and left through a central ceiling vent, alongside cooling technology developed in-house and intended to let the facility operate without air conditioning. OVHcloud’s sustainability timeline also records a Quebec data center powered with hydroelectricity and windfarms in 2012. These are descriptions and claims attributed to the company or contemporary reporting, not a complete accounting of the facility’s energy sources or environmental impact. Data Center Knowledge, 2013; OVHcloud’s sustainability timeline.
What the PUE figure means—and does not mean
Data Center Knowledge reported that OVH claimed a power usage effectiveness (PUE) below 1.1 for the facility. PUE compares a data center’s total energy use with the energy delivered to its IT equipment; a lower value indicates less overhead energy relative to that equipment load. The article does not establish that the figure was independently audited, and it should not be read as a current measurement. OVH Canada separately published an undated average PUE of 1.09, but that company-wide figure is not shown to apply specifically to Beauharnois or to represent independently measured current performance. Data Center Knowledge, 2013; OVH Canada’s green-hosting page.
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- Save valuable floor space: 12U wall mount server cabinet Dimensions: 24.25" H x21.65" W x17.72" D. MAXIMUM MOUNTING DEPTH is 14.2".
- Keep critical network equipment secure: glass door and side panels are lockable to prevent unauthorized access; Front door can be installed on either side of the front of the cabinet to satisfy your door swing orientation preference
- Easy equipment configuration: Fully adjustable mounting rails and numbered U positions, with square holes for easy equipment mounting with top and bottom punchout panels for easy cable access
- Durability: Made of high quality cold rolled steel holds up to 110lb (50kg) (Easy Assembly Required)
- PCI & HIPPA and EIA/ECA-310-E compliant
The same undated OVH Canada page says its liquid-cooling method captures 70% of the heat generated by a server. That is a company-published claim whose scope and date are not specified; it should not be treated as a Beauharnois-specific result. OVHcloud’s current sustainability page describes server components designed for reuse, recycling and repair, but those corporate practices do not establish the site’s full lifecycle footprint. OVH Canada’s green-hosting page; OVHcloud’s sustainability page.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What did OVH say about its North American plans?
The 2013 article quoted OVH founder and CEO Octave Klaba saying, “We expect to meet North American user’s needs as we do in Europe, where we already manage 140,000 servers.” That 140,000-server figure describes the company’s statement at the time, not its current infrastructure. The report also quoted Klaba: “We set our standards very high and our prices are competitive.” Data Center Knowledge, January 17, 2013.
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