Title: When Was the First Data Center Built? A Short History | FOUND

Description: When was the first data center built? The record traces dedicated computer facilities to the 1950s and 1960s, decades before the internet went commercial in 1995.

Canonical: https://lotsfound.com/insights/history-of-data-centers/

# When was the first data center built? A short history

No record names one first data center, but dedicated computer facilities date to the 1950s and 1960s. A computer maker's archive shows a company data centre in 1963, more than 30 years before the commercial internet arrived in 1995. Data centers are more than 60 years old, not 30.

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In this article

1. [When the first data center was built](#when-the-first-data-center-was-built)
2. [Why "about 30 years" is the wrong number](#why-about-30-years-is-the-wrong-number)
3. [A timeline of data centers](#a-timeline-of-data-centers)
4. [The mainframe era: computer rooms and service bureaus](#the-mainframe-era-computer-rooms-and-service-bureaus)
5. [Networks and interconnection, 1969 to 1995](#networks-and-interconnection-1969-to-1995)
6. [The commercial era: colocation and scale](#the-commercial-era-colocation-and-scale)
7. [North Carolina's data-center milestones](#north-carolinas-data-center-milestones)
8. [Key recap](#key-recap)
9. [Questions](#questions)
10. [References](#references)

> **Quick summary:** This guide traces data centers from the first government computers of the 1950s to today's campuses, with North Carolina's own milestones from state and county records. It is for anyone who has heard that data centers are a recent invention, or that the internet is only about 30 years old. The key takeaway: dedicated computer facilities are more than 60 years old, and North Carolina has run its own for more than 30.

## When the first data center was built

No public record names a single first data center, but dedicated computer facilities date to the 1950s and 1960s. The [Census Bureau signed a contract for an electronic computer](https://www.census.gov/about/history/bureau-history/census-innovations/technology/univac-i.html) on March 31, 1951. Its history calls that machine the first successful civilian computer. A computer maker's [historical archive](https://www.ibm.com/history/time-sharing) shows a company data centre in Toronto in 1963.

The answer depends on what you count. A room built around one government computer in 1951 is a computer room. A facility that a company named a data centre and ran for customers in 1963 is closer to the modern meaning. By either test, data centers are more than 60 years old. For what the building is today, see [What is a data center?](/insights/what-is-a-data-center/)

## Why "about 30 years" is the wrong number

The 30-year figure counts from the commercial internet, not from the first data centers. The federal NSFNET backbone [retired on April 30, 1995](https://www.merit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Retiring-the-NSFNET-Backbone-Service_-Chronicling-the-End-of-an-Era-1.pdf), and traffic moved to commercial networks. That date is about 31 years ago. It marks when the internet went commercial, not when it began.

The internet itself is older. The [first ARPANET message](https://www.darpa.mil/news/features/arpanet) passed between two research computers on October 29, 1969. The defense research agency dates the network's evolution into the internet to January 1983. Data centers are older still. The 1963 data centre came six years before the first ARPANET message. [Are data centers bad? The objections, checked against the record](/insights/data-center-misconceptions/) checks this and other common beliefs.

## A timeline of data centers

Data-center history runs in three overlapping eras: mainframe computer rooms, network interconnection, and large commercial campuses. The dates below come from the agencies and organizations that made them.

| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1951 | The Census Bureau signs a contract for an electronic computer. |
| 1963 | A computer maker's archive shows its data centre in Toronto. |
| 1964 | A new mainframe family makes time-sharing, many users on one computer, practical. |
| 1969 | The first ARPANET message passes between two research computers. |
| 1983 | The defense research agency dates ARPANET's evolution into the internet. |
| 1986 | The National Science Foundation launches NSFNET to connect researchers to supercomputer centers. |
| 1994 | A London internet exchange begins in leased rack space inside a data centre. |
| 1995 | The NSFNET backbone retires, and traffic moves to commercial networks. |
| 1999 | A commercial interconnection company opens its first center in Ashburn, Virginia. |
| 2007 | The EPA reports to Congress on server and data-center energy use. |
| 2023 | United States data centers use about 4.4 percent of the nation's electricity. |

## The mainframe era: computer rooms and service bureaus

The first data centers were rooms built around one expensive computer that many users shared. The same [computer maker's history](https://www.ibm.com/history/time-sharing) describes service bureaus. Customers sent data on punched cards, the bureau ran the cards through its machines, and it returned a report for a fee. Time-sharing followed. A mainframe family introduced in 1964 became powerful enough to let many users work on one computer at the same time.

The [Census Bureau used its 1951 computer](https://www.census.gov/about/history/bureau-history/census-innovations/technology/univac-i.html) to tabulate part of the 1950 population census and the entire 1954 economic census. Government statistics were among the first data-center workloads.

## Networks and interconnection, 1969 to 1995

From 1969 to 1995, networks connected the computer centers to each other. The [National Science Foundation](https://www.nsf.gov/impacts/internet) launched NSFNET in 1986 to connect academic researchers to a new system of supercomputer centers. NSFNET connected about 2,000 computers in 1986 and more than 2 million by 1993.

The buildings that held computers began to hold network exchanges too. In November 1994, five internet providers in London linked their networks to exchange traffic. They [leased rack space in a nearly empty data centre](https://www.linx.net/about/history-of-linx/) to do it.

> **The short version:** Data centers came first. Networks connected them, and the commercial internet of 1995 ran through them. The idea that data centers arrived with AI, or with the internet, does not match the record.

## The commercial era: colocation and scale

After 1995, companies built data centers to rent to others. A commercial interconnection company [opened its first center in Ashburn, Virginia, in July 1999](https://investor.equinix.com/sec-filings/proxy-filings/content/0001012870-00-000938/0001012870-00-000938.pdf), according to its filing with federal securities regulators.

By 2007 the federal government treated data centers as established infrastructure. The [EPA's report to Congress](https://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/prod_development/downloads/EPA_Datacenter_Report_Congress_Final1.pdf) estimated that servers and data centers used about 61 billion kilowatt-hours in 2006, about 1.5 percent of United States electricity. The [Department of Energy](https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-releases-new-report-evaluating-increase-electricity-demand-data-centers) reports 58 terawatt-hours in 2014 and 176 terawatt-hours in 2023, about 4.4 percent.

The buildings also grew larger. The [International Energy Agency](https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/de9dea13-b07d-42c5-a398-d1b3ae17d866/EnergyandAI.pdf) estimates that hyperscale facilities grew from about 10 percent of world data-center capacity in 2010 to 37 percent. Facilities that one organization runs for its own use fell from 85 percent in 2005 to about 28 percent. [What are data centers used for?](/insights/what-are-data-centers-used-for/) lists what these buildings run now, and [Why do we need data centers?](/insights/why-do-we-need-data-centers/) covers what fails when one goes down.

## North Carolina's data-center milestones

North Carolina has run data centers for more than 30 years. State and county records date the milestones below.

- **About 1991.** A [July 2020 state plan](https://files.nc.gov/ncdeq/2020_DEQ_SEO_Comprehensive_Energy_Program_Report_Final_1-27-21.pdf) says the Eastern Data Center in Raleigh had housed the state's primary data center for about 29 years.
- **About 2007.** The same plan describes the state's Western Data Center as 13 years old.
- **2007 and 2008.** A hyperscale operator [announced a data center in Lenoir in 2007](https://www.commerce.nc.gov/news/press-releases/google-expands-north-carolina), according to the state's Department of Commerce. The operator dates [its first Lenoir opening to 2008](https://www.datacenters.google/locations/north-carolina/).
- **2009.** Another operator [selected North Carolina for a new data center](https://www.commerce.nc.gov/news/press-releases/gov-perdue-welcomes-apple-north-carolina) on June 3, 2009. By November 2012, [Catawba County's financial report](https://catawbacountync.gov/site/assets/files/2549/cafr-2012.pdf) described a 500,000-square-foot facility in Maiden as built.
- **2010.** A third operator [announced a data center near Forest City](https://www.commerce.nc.gov/news/press-releases/governor-perdue-facebook-likes-north-carolina) in Rutherford County on November 11, 2010. The EPA reports that the project [converted two former textile and manufacturing brownfields](https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/reuse-considerations-data-centers-brownfield-sites).

These dates mark announcements, openings, and plan ages. They are different kinds of events. No record found here names the state's first data center. [Data centers in North Carolina: the announced projects, in one table](/research/north-carolina-data-center-projects/) lists the projects since then.

> **Take action:** If you own former mill, farm, or timber land in North Carolina, the record can show whether it reads as a data-center site. Start with [Is your land a data-center site?](/who-we-serve/landowners/)

## Key recap

- No record names one first data center. Dedicated computer facilities date to the 1950s, and a company data centre appears in a 1963 archive.
- The "30 years" figure counts from the 1995 move to a commercial internet. Data centers are more than 60 years old.
- Networks and exchanges grew up inside data centers, from 1990s London to Ashburn, Virginia.
- North Carolina's primary state data center has operated in Raleigh since about 1991, and a large private campus opened in Lenoir in 2008.
- Electricity use by United States data centers rose from about 1.5 percent of the national total in 2006 to about 4.4 percent in 2023.

## Questions

### How long have data centers been around?

Data centers have been around for more than 60 years. The Census Bureau signed a contract for an electronic computer in 1951, and a computer maker's archive shows a company data centre in 1963.

### Are data centers older than the internet?

Yes. A company data centre appears in a 1963 archive, six years before the first ARPANET message in 1969 and more than 30 years before the internet went commercial in 1995.

### When did North Carolina get its first data center?

No public record names the first one. A 2020 state plan says the state's Eastern Data Center in Raleigh had served as its primary data center for about 29 years, which dates it to about 1991. A large private campus opened in Lenoir in 2008, according to its operator.

### Did data centers start with AI?

No. Data centers ran government statistics, business systems, and the commercial internet for decades before AI became a major workload.

## References

Primary sources cited on this page, in APA style.

- Catawba County Finance Department. (2012, November 19). *Comprehensive annual financial report for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012*. Catawba County. [https://catawbacountync.gov/site/assets/files/2549/cafr-2012.pdf](https://catawbacountync.gov/site/assets/files/2549/cafr-2012.pdf)
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. (n.d.). *ARPANET*. Retrieved October 2, 2026, from [https://www.darpa.mil/news/features/arpanet](https://www.darpa.mil/news/features/arpanet)
- Equinix, Inc. (2000, February 24). *Form S-4, Amendment No. 1* (Registration No. 333-93749). U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. [https://investor.equinix.com/sec-filings/proxy-filings/content/0001012870-00-000938/0001012870-00-000938.pdf](https://investor.equinix.com/sec-filings/proxy-filings/content/0001012870-00-000938/0001012870-00-000938.pdf)
- Google. (n.d.). *Lenoir, North Carolina: Google data center location*. Google Data Centers. Retrieved October 2, 2026, from [https://www.datacenters.google/locations/north-carolina/](https://www.datacenters.google/locations/north-carolina/)
- Harris, S. R., & Gerich, E. (1996, April). Retiring the NSFNET backbone service: Chronicling the end of an era. *ConneXions*, *10*(4). Merit Network. [https://www.merit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Retiring-the-NSFNET-Backbone-Service_-Chronicling-the-End-of-an-Era-1.pdf](https://www.merit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Retiring-the-NSFNET-Backbone-Service_-Chronicling-the-End-of-an-Era-1.pdf)
- IBM. (n.d.). *Time-sharing*. IBM history. Retrieved October 2, 2026, from [https://www.ibm.com/history/time-sharing](https://www.ibm.com/history/time-sharing)
- International Energy Agency. (2025, April 10). *Energy and AI*. [https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/de9dea13-b07d-42c5-a398-d1b3ae17d866/EnergyandAI.pdf](https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/de9dea13-b07d-42c5-a398-d1b3ae17d866/EnergyandAI.pdf)
- London Internet Exchange. (n.d.). *History of LINX*. Retrieved October 2, 2026, from [https://www.linx.net/about/history-of-linx/](https://www.linx.net/about/history-of-linx/)
- North Carolina Department of Commerce. (2009, June 3). *Gov. Perdue welcomes Apple to North Carolina* [Press release]. [https://www.commerce.nc.gov/news/press-releases/gov-perdue-welcomes-apple-north-carolina](https://www.commerce.nc.gov/news/press-releases/gov-perdue-welcomes-apple-north-carolina)
- North Carolina Department of Commerce. (2010, November 11). *Governor Perdue: Facebook 'likes' North Carolina; announces social networking leader to build data center in Rutherford County* [Press release]. [https://www.commerce.nc.gov/news/press-releases/governor-perdue-facebook-likes-north-carolina](https://www.commerce.nc.gov/news/press-releases/governor-perdue-facebook-likes-north-carolina)
- North Carolina Department of Commerce. (2013, April 19). *Google expands in North Carolina* [Press release]. [https://www.commerce.nc.gov/news/press-releases/google-expands-north-carolina](https://www.commerce.nc.gov/news/press-releases/google-expands-north-carolina)
- North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. (2021, January 25). *EO 80 annual report: Comprehensive program update and cabinet agency utility consumption*. [https://files.nc.gov/ncdeq/2020_DEQ_SEO_Comprehensive_Energy_Program_Report_Final_1-27-21.pdf](https://files.nc.gov/ncdeq/2020_DEQ_SEO_Comprehensive_Energy_Program_Report_Final_1-27-21.pdf)
- U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). *UNIVAC I*. Retrieved October 2, 2026, from [https://www.census.gov/about/history/bureau-history/census-innovations/technology/univac-i.html](https://www.census.gov/about/history/bureau-history/census-innovations/technology/univac-i.html)
- U.S. Department of Energy. (2024, December 20). *DOE releases new report evaluating increase in electricity demand from data centers* [Press release]. [https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-releases-new-report-evaluating-increase-electricity-demand-data-centers](https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-releases-new-report-evaluating-increase-electricity-demand-data-centers)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). *Reuse considerations for data centers on brownfield sites*. Retrieved October 2, 2026, from [https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/reuse-considerations-data-centers-brownfield-sites](https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/reuse-considerations-data-centers-brownfield-sites)
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ENERGY STAR Program. (2007, August 2). *Report to Congress on server and data center energy efficiency: Public Law 109-431*. [https://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/prod_development/downloads/EPA_Datacenter_Report_Congress_Final1.pdf](https://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/prod_development/downloads/EPA_Datacenter_Report_Congress_Final1.pdf)
- U.S. National Science Foundation. (n.d.). *Birth of the commercial internet*. NSF Impacts. Retrieved October 2, 2026, from [https://www.nsf.gov/impacts/internet](https://www.nsf.gov/impacts/internet)

## Data-center fundamentals

- [What is a data center?](/insights/what-is-a-data-center/)
- [What is a hyperscale data center?](/insights/what-is-a-hyperscale-data-center/)
- [Types of data centers and the land each one needs](/insights/types-of-data-centers/)
- [What is a colocation data center?](/insights/colocation-data-center/)
- [What is an edge data center?](/insights/edge-data-center/)
- [What is an AI data center?](/insights/ai-data-center/)
- [Data center campus: what it is and what it needs from land](/insights/data-center-campus/)
- [Data center vs warehouse: how the site needs differ](/insights/data-center-vs-warehouse/)
- [What is PUE (power usage effectiveness)?](/insights/what-is-pue/)
- [What are data centers used for?](/insights/what-are-data-centers-used-for/)
- [Why do we need data centers?](/insights/why-do-we-need-data-centers/)
- [What does a data center look like?](/insights/what-does-a-data-center-look-like/)
- [How does a data center work?](/insights/how-does-a-data-center-work/)
- [Who owns data centers?](/insights/who-owns-data-centers/)
- [Data center vs. cloud: on-premises, colocation, and cloud compared](/insights/data-center-vs-cloud/)

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