Take a look at Facebook's gorgeous data centers from around the world

Alan Brandt

Facebook is one of the most heavily-trafficked websites on the internet. As such, the company has set up vast infrastructure to support its billion-plus users.

In 2011, Facebook announced the Open Compute Project as a way to openly share the designs for its data centers - "to spark a collaborative dialogue ... [and] collectively develop the most efficient computing infrastructure possible."

Starting in 2009, three Facebook employees dedicated themselves to custom-designing servers, server racks, power supplies, UPS units, and battery backup systems for the company's first data center in Prineville, Oregon. By 2011, Facebook's data center in Prineville used 38% less energy to do the same work as the company's other data centers at the time, while costing 24% less.

Since then, Facebook has improved on its data center designs and opened several more centers around the world: in North Carolina, Iowa, and Sweden, with new data centers coming soon to Texas, New Mexico, and Ireland.

With the help of Facebook and photographer Alan Brandt, we've compiled some photos to show off what Facebook's data centers look like from the inside and outside. And these are some really gorgeous-looking facilities.