GM Opens First IT Command Center

General Motors Co. says its new $130 million data center in Warren, Mich., will be the centerpiece of a global IT system to handle all aspects of the company's business.

Construction will begin next month on a $100 million "mirror" center 40 miles away at GM's Milford (Mich.) Proving Ground. The facility is scheduled to open in July 2014.

The facilities will consolidate multiple networks and give GM advanced computing capabilities to be used globally in everything from product development and manufacturing to marketing and sales. The centers, which can support super-computing applications, also will integrate the company's OnStar telematics applications.

The 5,000-sq-ft Warren facility has 24 server clusters, 48 work stations and a 955-sq-ft video wall consisting of 28 configurable monitors, all linked by 1,600 miles of high-capacity fiber cable.