Oct. 10, 2013 – University of Utah’s College of Engineering received approval this week for its new undergraduate certificate program in data center engineering. The new program is designed to prepare students to work in data centers run by government agencies and companies such as eBay, Oracle and Goldman Sachs.

A major challenge for data centers is handling massive amounts of data and storing this information in large-scale facilities. Engineers need to understand how to balance power and temperature regulation with highly concentrated computing infrastructure when operating or managing these facilities.

“This program will introduce a new interdisciplinary certificate that will give students at the University of Utah a major competitive advantage in the job market for the growing industry of large-scale data centers,” says Valerio Pascucci, professor of computer science at the U and coordinator of the new program. “Data centers involve unprecedented concentrations of high-performance computing resources that cannot be managed successfully without combining state-of-the-art computer science practices with modern green technologies to enable truly sustainable operations.”

Drawing on existing coursework in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science, this new certificate program will provide students will unique skills needed to enter the workforce in data center operations and management.

In addition, students will participate in an internship program in partnership with local companies, providing hands-on experience. This will also lead to employment opportunities for students after graduation.

The new Data Center Engineering Certificate program was approved Monday by the University of Utah Academic Senate.

The certificate and internships will be coordinated through the university’s Center for Extreme Data Management Analysis and Visualization. To learn more about the data center engineering program, please click here.