An objective, vendor-agnostic look at Switch’s Tier 5® Platinum data-center campuses: what they are, where they operate, strengths, trade-offs, pricing tier, alternatives, and QuoteColo off-list CTA.
Size & Locations. The Scope of Switch & Its Tier 5® Campuses
- Switch, Inc. is a U.S.-based private data-center operator building and operating some of the largest campus-scale facilities in the world. Its headquarters are in Las Vegas, Nevada.
- Switch is known for its exascale, Tier 5® Platinum data centers branded as PRIMES, with campus ecosystems in multiple U.S. regions including Las Vegas and Tahoe Reno in Nevada; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; and Austin, Texas.
- These campuses span millions of square feet of space and hundreds of megawatts of power capacity, with the Core Campus in Las Vegas alone expected to exceed ~5 million square feet and ~430 MW of power capacity.
- Switch designs and operates these facilities as Tier 5® Platinum, a proprietary standard developed by the company to go beyond traditional Tier IV definitions with expanded reliability, sustainability and security criteria.
Bottom line: Switch’s Tier 5® campuses represent some of the most ambitious data-center footprints: multi-million-square-foot facilities with massive power infrastructure capable of hosting enterprise, hyperscale, AI, cloud and network-intensive workloads.
What “Tier 5® Platinum” Means (Proprietary Standard)
- Switch developed the Tier 5® Platinum standard to go beyond industry norms like Uptime Institute’s Tier IV, incorporating additional resilience, power systems design, security, carrier diversity, and sustainability requirements not evaluated by traditional tier ratings.
- Unlike the Uptime Institute’s published tiers (I–IV), Tier 5® Platinum is a proprietary classification by Switch that includes factors such as fault-sustainable power and cooling systems, enhanced connectivity, physical and network security, renewable energy use, and long-term resilience criteria.
- Switch’s Tier 5® Platinum facilities are engineered to support highly mission-critical, high-density workloads, including AI factories and next-generation digital infrastructure, often with sustainability and energy efficiency front of mind.
Pros & Cons. What Works (and What to Watch Out For)
Pros
Exascale campus capabilities
Switch’s campuses are among the largest and most powerful in North America, with capacity for hundreds of megawatts of power and millions of square feet of space, suitable for enterprise, cloud and hyperscale workloads.
Premium standard (Tier 5® Platinum)
Enhanced reliability, resilience, connectivity and sustainability features beyond traditional Tier IV expectations.
Multi-campus flexibility
Presence across several U.S. regions allows customers to distribute infrastructure across disaster buffers and network paths.
Designed for extreme workloads
AI architectures, high-density racks (multi-MW cabinets), and robust networking are core parts of strategic campus plans.
Green power and sustainability
Switch campuses operate with 100 % renewable energy and are engineered to handle high-density, efficient cooling and power architectures tailored for next-gen compute (e.g., AI).
Cons / Limitations
Proprietary certification
Tier 5® Platinum is not part of the widely recognized Uptime Institute Tier I–IV certification system, which can make direct apples-to-apples comparisons with other providers’ certified Tier IV facilities less straightforward.
U.S.-centric footprint
Despite the scale, Switch’s primary campuses are concentrated in the U.S.; global footprint beyond its main PRIMES sites is limited.
Premium positioning
Due to scale, power, and advanced design, pricing is often medium-to-high compared to basic or regional colocation providers.
Complexity for smaller deployments
The scale and design of Tier 5® campuses may exceed the needs (and budgets) of small or simple infrastructure use cases.
What Clients & Market Observers Say
- Industry commentary recognizes Switch as a leading innovator in campus-scale data infrastructure, with Tier 5® Platinum facilities that reflect extensive focus on resilience, sustainability and high-density workloads, particularly as AI demand grows.
- Observers highlight the strategic placement of these campuses (e.g., Tahoe Reno’s massive footprint, Las Vegas Core Campus) as catering to customers requiring large-scale, fault-sustained capacity and renewable energy integration.
- While the Tier 5® standard remains proprietary, it is widely marketed by the company as offering holistic reliability and transparency beyond standard infrastructure ratings.
Pricing Tier
Estimated Tier: HIGH
Switch’s Tier 5® Platinum campuses are positioned at the high end of the colocation / hyperscale spectrum:
- Massive campuses with multi-hundreds-MW power capacity and integration for AI workloads typically command premium pricing.
- Proprietary design standards and sustainability features further differentiate the value – but at a higher cost tier compared to basic or even standard Tier IV providers.
For smaller or cost-sensitive workloads, simpler regional providers or traditional colocation may be more cost-effective.
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Alternative Providers to Switch (2026-Forward)
If Switch’s Tier 5® campuses are appealing but you also want trade-offs like global reach, certification clarity, or cost flexibility, consider:
- Equinix. Globally extensive colocation and interconnection platform with strong cloud ecosystems.
- Digital Realty. Large global REIT-style provider ideal for multi-region enterprise deployments.
- CoreSite. U.S. data-center provider with network-dense facilities and hybrid-cloud integration.
- QTS Data Centers. Enterprise and hyperscale colocation with U.S. + Europe presence.
- Regional / niche colocation providers. Lower cost or hyper-customized offerings for single-site or simple deployments.
- Off-list / private-market operators (via QuoteColo network). Tailored colocation or hybrid IT options not broadly marketed.
When Switch’s Tier 5® Campuses Make Sense and When to Consider Alternatives
Choose Switch if you:
Need massive campus-level capacity with multi-MW racks and multi-hundreds-MW power.
Are deploying AI, hyperscale, enterprise or distributed compute workloads requiring sustainability and resilience.
Value site diversity across major U.S. regions for business continuity.
Need sustainability, 100 % renewable energy, and advanced physical/network security designed into the facility.
Consider alternatives if you:
Seek standardized, widely recognized Tier certifications (e.g., Uptime Institute Tier IV) for compliance reasons.
Prefer regional or niche providers with simplified contracts or hybrid service models.
Require globally distributed infrastructure beyond the U.S. footprint.
Run smaller or cost-sensitive workloads where ultra-high reliability isn’t essential.
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QuoteColo Off-List / Matchmaking CTA
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- Our free, no-obligation matchmaking service takes your specifics (location, power, racks, cooling, compliance, budget) and delivers customized quotes including off-list providers that don’t appear on standard lists.
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Are Switch’s Tier 5® Campuses Right for You?
Switch’s Tier 5® Platinum campuses represent a premium, campus-scale approach to modern digital infrastructure engineered for high-density, resilient, sustainable and future-ready deployments. They stand out for enterprise-class and hyperscale workloads, especially where power, redundancy, connectivity and sustainability are paramount.
For smaller, simpler or globally dispersed needs alternative providers or off-list options may deliver better cost-to-value ratios.
