Facebook's Oregon data center includes four buildings with rows of server racks where photos of birthday parties and videos of summer vacations are stored. The world's largest social network is also using the facility to test about 2,000 old smartphone models that include Apple's iPhone 4s and Samsung's Galaxy Nexus. It wants to test mobile apps for Facebook users in developing countries around the world.
Ken Patchett is Facebook's director of western data center operations. He explained that in some regions of the world most people cannot afford the newest mobile phones.
Facebook has already supersaturated the social media market in richer countries. In those nations consumers have the time and money to line up to buy the latest tech gadgets.
High-end phones cost about $700. However a Galaxy Nexus only costs about $140 or less, which is more affordable for Chinese workers who average $5,000 yearly salaries, for example.
Facebook's data center is thus testing how apps work on the old smartphones. The social giant's California headquarters that is 500 miles away sends its latest code to the data center for testing.
Facebook already has over one billion daily users. The goal of its Internet.org initiative launched three years ago is to bring affordable Internet access to the whole world, according to CNET.
However, the social network has learned that its app did not function well on budget smartphones. In addition, app updates worked worse on old-school devices.
Last year Facebook started testing its software on outdated devices. It told Facebook employees to ditch their iPhone 6/6s series devices for cheap Android phones. The Oregon data center now tests thousands of old smartphones and the company plans to add more to other data centers.
Most of the tech in "Building 4" is used to store and transmit data ranging from 360-degree pro sports photos to cute cat videos. Facebook's use of the datacenter to test new apps on old phones is rare.
In related news, the building of two data centers in Prineville, Oregon has resulted in a housing shortage in the town, according to OregonLive. The data storage facilities are for Apple and Facebook. Some construction workers are forced to live in hotel rooms for months because it is the only choice.
Here's a video on Facebook data centers: