China's "Ice City" aims to become "Cloud Valley"

The city of Harbin, known as China's "Ice City" because of its cold temperatures and its annual ice and snow festival, has attracted the attention of global IT companies who are seeking to turn the city into a base for cloud computing.

The geography

"We've got the geography, the temperature and the networks. We've got the electricity, the cooling water, and we've got the talent," said Mou, vowing that his "China Cloud Valley" project is ready to take off.

Cloud computing is a burgeoning trend in IT. It allows users to store files in a remote data center, or "cloud." These clouds can be accessed online from any computer, offering limitless possibilities for companies and individual users who wish to decentralize their data.

The cloud computing project

The cloud computing project, unveiled in Harbin in December of last year, is now entering its second phase of construction with an investment of 2.8 billion yuan. The project has attracted large companies just as Siemens, Schneider Electric and CIT, all of whom have signed cooperative agreements with the project operators.

Cloud computing platforms will prove to be indispensable in future, said Fang Zhenghui, deputy director of the innovation office of the Harbin municipal government.

The world's largest cloud computing centers are often located in regions with colder climates, as the low temperatures help to defray the costs of operating heatsinks and other units that are required to keep the centers' massive banks of computers from overheating, according to Mou.

Boon for the new cloud computing project

Harbin's independent electrical grid is as well a boon for the new cloud computing project, Mou said, as the project will require a large, stable supply of uninterrupted electrical power.

As the telecommunications center of the northeast, Heilongjiang Province is rich in broadband resources, with the construction of a third Sino-Russia cross-border fiber-optic cable currently in accordance with way.

Cong Guozhang, vice mayor of Harbin, said cloud computing will play an important role in improving the advancement of information innovation and promoting local economic growth.