The data center is built in a shipping container for global mobility.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced the availability of a mobile, modular data center (MDC) designed for use by US Department of Defense (DoD) agencies. The data center, which is built in a ruggedized shipping container, can scale by deploying additional units. It can be transported by ship, rail and truck. The MDC units can also be transported by air using military cargo aircraft.
Meeting the special needs of the military
“The US Department of Defense relies on modern military applications that are data-heavy and depend on low latency to enable critical communications and coordination in the field”, AWS said. “Accessing, processing, and sharing data at the tactical edge has become increasingly essential to mission success”, they explained.
The MDC is designed to meet that need, according to AWS. The new solution will give the DoD “the ability to deploy compute and storage capabilities to support large-scale workloads wherever they need it, including in Disconnected, Disrupted, Intermittent, or Limited (DDIL) environments”, they claimed. The DDIL requirement is a standard for providers of cloud-based IT infrastructure and services to the US military.
Built for high availability
Each MDC unit comes pre-configured with high-availability data center infrastructure. This includes internal networking, cooling, and power distribution equipment. To deploy compute and storage capabilities, AWS MDC supports both AWS Outposts and AWS Snowball Edge devices, and can be scaled through the deployment of additional modular data center units to meet the military’s requirements.
The AWS MDC is a self-contained solution, AWS explains. It only needs to be connected to power once deployed on-site, and networking if using AWS Outposts. When networking is limited or unavailable, like in DDIL environments, AWS MDC racked with Snow Family devices allows customers to run workloads “using a scoped subset of AWS services”. This configuration will thus work even when disconnected, AWS claims. The military customers also have the option to use their satellite communications for network connectivity.
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