Google is offering a virtual window into the secretive data centers that serve as its nerve center. Google has aired a new web site featuring photographs of the facilities where the Internet lives; a never-before-seen look at the technology, the people and the places that keep Google running.

The site features photos from inside some of the eight data centers that Google already has running in the U.S., Finland and Belgium. Google is also building data centers in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Chile.



The closely guarded facilities house an intricate maze of computers that process Internet search requests, show YouTube video clips and distribute email for millions of people.

Google said that very few people have stepped inside Google's data centers, for security reasons.

In addition, Google is offering its Lenoir, NC data center through Street View. Users can virtually walk in the front door, head up the stairs, turn right at the ping-pong table and head down the hall to the data center floor. They can also take a a stroll around the exterior of the facility to see Google's energy-efficient cooling infrastructure.