Overview
The Utah Data Center, also known as Bumblehive, is the first Intelligence Community Comprehensive National Cyber-security Initiative data center, designed to store and process vast amounts of digital data for national security purposes – including the ambitious goal to break the 256-bit AES encryption.
This one million square foot LEED Silver facility houses a 100,000 sq-ft mission critical Tier III data center with sixty diesel fuel emergency standby generators and a 3-day 100% power backup capability. It also supports technical support and administrative space along with water treatment facilities, chiller plants, electric substation, fire pump house, warehouse, vehicle inspection facility and visitor control center.
The NSA is the executive agent for this massive complex that utilizes the Cray XC30 supercomputer which can scale workloads of more than 100 petaflops or 100 trillion calculations each second.
The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm is used worldwide for encrypting electronic data on hard drives and web browsers; computer experts estimate it would take longer than the age of universe to break its code using available computing technology. Thus in 2004 an effort was launched by NSA Oak Ridge facility to build a classified supercomputer specifically designed for cryptanalysis targeting AES algorithm.
The aim is to eventually develop an exaflop machine (1 quintillion instructions per second) by 2018; however if this capacity cannot be reached within an actionable timeframe then Utah’s Data Center will continue to store all encrypted (and suspicious) data safely until then.
Technical Specifications
You’ve heard of the Utah Data Center, the massive 1.5 billion-dollar supercomputer fortress that houses one million square feet of top secret data?
What you may not know is that it’s actually a 100,000 sq-ft Tier III data center.
That’s right – the Utah Data Center isn’t just designed to keep secrets; it can hold an incredible amount of info too.
The Cray XC30 supercomputer, code-named ‘Cascade’, is capable of scaling high performance computing (HPC) workloads up to 100 petaflops (100,000 trillion calculations per second).
This means the Utah Data Center can process more than just digital information; its potential reaches far beyond that.
It has been designed to cope with vast increases in digital data due to the rise of global networks and even has a plan for breaking 256-bit AES encryption key within an actionable time period within decades.
But don’t worry – this facility was built with expansion in mind and there are plans for increasing its storage capacity in terms of zettabytes and exabytes so that we can turn all this incoming data into something useful for our nation’s security.
Surveillance Activities
Surveillance activities carried out by the Intelligence Community have recently become more transparent with the launch of ‘IC OFF THE RECORD’, a website that provides Americans direct access to Top Secret documents. This includes information on the Intelligence Community’s use of PRISM, nationwide intercept stations, and Boundless Informant data collection tools.
By providing direct access to unauthorized leaks, IC OFF THE RECORD gives citizens an understanding of how their data is collected and processed by organizations like the NSA Utah Data Center.
The Utah Data Center is a massive one million square foot complex located at Camp Williams in Bluffdale, UT that contains a 100,000 sq-ft Tier III mission critical data center as well as numerous support and administrative buildings. The facility was built with future expansion in mind and it is estimated that its storage capacity will eventually reach “alottabytes”!
The Cray XC30 supercomputer within the Utah Data Center is capable of scaling high performance computing (HPC) workloads up to 100 petaflops or 100,000 trillion calculations per second – enough power for cryptanalysis targeting the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm used worldwide for encryption purposes.
Though experts believe it would take longer than the age of the universe to break AES code using current technology, our classified Oak Ridge facility made a breakthrough opening a path towards building an exaflop machine (1 quintillion instructions per second).
Until then, all encrypted (and thereby suspicious) data will be kept safe at our Utah facility.
Supercomputer Platform
You’ll be amazed by the massive Cray XC30 supercomputer inside the Utah facility, capable of performing up to 100 petaflops or 100,000 trillion calculations per second – enough power for cryptanalysis targeting encryption algorithms.
Developed in conjunction with DARPA, this machine is code-named ‘Cascade’ and was built to meet the needs of the Intelligence Community.
The NSA has launched a plan to build a classified supercomputer designed specifically for cryptanalysis targeting the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm. Its ultimate goal is to break the 256-bit AES encryption key within an actionable time period, something that may still be decades away.
As such, our Utah Data Center was sized to store all encrypted data as a precautionary measure.
Targeting AES-256
You may be wondering why our Intelligence Community is targeting the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm with a classified supercomputer. The AES algorithm is used globally to protect electronic data. It is estimated that it would take longer than the age of the universe to break the code using current technology. That’s why in 2004, the NSA launched a plan to build a classified supercomputer designed specifically for cryptanalysis targeting this algorithm.
By 2018, they hope to use this machine to make a stunning breakthrough that will enable them to break down the complex coding behind AES-256 encryption key within an actionable time period. To do so, they are building an exaflop machine (1 quintillion instructions per second). In order for this goal to be successful, our Utah Data Center was built with future expansion in mind. Its ultimate capacity will definitely be ‘alottabytes’!
All incoming encrypted data is stored at the Utah Data Center for safekeeping until such time as our code-breaking machine can crack through it. This massive repository has been designed with cutting-edge technology and security measures in place. It makes sure only authorized personnel have access to any confidential information held within its walls.
Conclusion
You’ve just learned about the NSA Utah Data Center, code-named Bumblehive. It’s a massive 1 million square foot facility with a 100,000 sq-ft mission critical Tier III data center that houses the Cray XC30 supercomputer.
The complex was built to monitor and protect the nation’s digital data and is capable of encrypting data using AES-256. While its impressive technical specifications make it an ideal tool for cyber security initiatives, its surveillance activities have raised some eyebrows in recent years.
All in all, Bumblehive is an impressive feat of engineering that helps keep our country safe from digital threats while protecting our privacy.
