Summary: We get to go inside the secret data center at the heart of the San Francisco 49ers Levi's Stadium to see what it takes to run a NFL stadium

Inside the Secret Data Center at the Heart of the San Francisco 49ers Levis Stadium

Source: Patrick Kennedy - 1970-01-01T00:00:00Z

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STH 49ers Stadium Data Center Tour
STH 49ers Stadium Data Center Tour

Last week, I got a text message that we were going to get in. We dropped everything (hence no video last week) and jumped on planes. We were heading to the San Francisco Bay Area, specifically Santa Clara, California. After around 2.5 years of asking, we were getting to tour not just Levi’s Stadium, but the secret data center tucked into the steel and concrete structure.

As a quick note, the 49ers gave STH this access, and Intel helped get us in, so we are going to say this is sponsored by Intel. Again, this was my idea, but sometimes to go from idea to video takes some help.

Of course, we have a video of this one and are going to tell folks that is probably a better medium for a tour like this. It is a bit shorter than our average video, so check this one out. As always, we suggest opening this in its own window, tab, or app for the best viewing experience.

To get to the data center, the first step was getting in. George and I showed up at the 49ers corporate offices which were inside Levi’s Stadium.

Patrick At 49ers Corporate Offices
Patrick At 49ers Corporate Offices

The data center itself was located behind locked doors through the corporate offices. We were walking through an office with folks talking about storylines and graphics for the Green Bay Packers at 49ers divisional round last weekend. Then, we stepped inside.

49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 1
49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 1

Inside there was a large hallway with active infrastructure projects paused for our arrival.

49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 25
49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 25

On the left side, we had the Emerson CRAC air handlers. This data center was nestled between the stands and the corporate offices, so heat from servers had to be expelled elsewhere.

49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 4
49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 4

On the right side, we have racks of equipment. Inside the data center, there was surprising diversity. Instead of standardizing on one type of server, there were many different brands, sizes, and shapes represented.

49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 23
49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 23

Some of the applications that we saw hosted were the business/ enterprise applications for the 49ers, we saw remote desktop/ VDI deployments, stadium-specific applications, network management boxes, and more.

49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 9
49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 9

Of course, there were lots of Intel Xeon servers for hosting applications and workstations for VDI/ remote desktop here but it felt a bit more like the STH labs where there was a lot of different gear.

49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 11
49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 11

Something stark in the stadium was just how much of the data center was dedicated to networking. There was an entire aisle of single-mode fiber patch panels.

49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 6
49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 6

There was another aisle for switching just next to it.

Inside the data center, aside from fiber conduit drops, we also spotted the panels for the phone network inside the stadium.

49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 20
49ers Levis Stadium Data Center 20

That data center’s focus on networking perhaps makes sense. The stadium can have 70,000 fans, workers, and so forth enter and hammer the in-stadium WiFi before eventually departing. Santa Clara is known for having its own power company and has been forward-thinking laying dark fiber as it brings buildings online. At the heart of Silicon Valley, connectivity to the stadium and the stands is a big deal.

49ers Levis Stadium IP Cameras 1
49ers Levis Stadium IP Cameras 1

Walking around the stadium, there were a huge number of cameras as well as access points everywhere we looked.

49ers Levis Stadium WiFi 2
49ers Levis Stadium WiFi 2

We walked next to the Executive Huddle where a lot of the game-day analytics happen.