A decade ago, some in the tech sector thought they could serve the customers of the world solely from data centers in the United States. But soon real-world experience dispelled this notion. People expected web pages, emails, and documents with photos or graphics to load on their phones and computers instantaneously. Consumer tests showed that a delay of just a half second would get under people’s skin.4 The laws of physics required building data centers in more countries, so this content wouldn’t have to travel on cables halfway around the world. This geographic proximity is key to reducing
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