This post was originally published in August of 2016 on another platform:
From the June 2016 issue of PM Network there is a short entry about Microsoft placing server farms on the seabed in California. Not necessarily a philosophic topic, but I found the idea… well… cool (cough, cough). Here is the entire text:
Data’s Deep Dive
The technology industry has a heat problem. Massive data centers help deliver videos, email and social network content to billions of people – and generate tons of heat. This leaves tech companies with massive air conditioning bills and the constant risk of crashes from overheated servers.
Microsoft thinks the solution lies at the bottom of the sea. Earlier this year, the Redmond, Washington, USA-based company concluded a 105-day trial of an underwater data center project. A team plunged a server rack encapsulated in a watertight steel cylinder 30 feet (9.1 meters) underwater off the coast of California. The capsule was outfitted with more than 100 sensors to measure pressure, humidity, motion and other conditions.
The ocean water keeps the servers cool, eliminating expensive energy bills and reducing the risk of crashes. Subsea data centers might even be able to power themselves using tidal power or underwater turbines. The challenge is creating units that can function without regular checkups. Microsoft estimates that an undersea system may be able to go up to 20 years at a time without maintenance.
To alleviate environmental concerns, the project team used acoustic sensors to determine if noise from the servers would disrupt ocean wildlife – and found that any sound from the system was drowned out by the clicking of nearby shrimp. Early tests also showed that heat generated by the servers only affected water a few inches around the vessel.
The project’s test phase was so successful that it ran 75 days longer than planned. Researchers believe that mass-producing server capsules can slash setup time of new data centers from two years to 90 days. If that’s the case, a big new wave of data center projects could be on the way.
Kelsey O’Conner
Data Center loaded on ship
Pic from NY Times
From the June 2016 issue of PM Network there is a short entry about Microsoft placing server farms on the seabed in California. Not necessarily a philosophic topic, but I found the idea… well… cool (cough, cough). Here is the entire text:
Data’s Deep Dive
The technology industry has a heat problem. Massive data centers help deliver videos, email and social network content to billions of people – and generate tons of heat. This leaves tech companies with massive air conditioning bills and the constant risk of crashes from overheated servers.
Microsoft thinks the solution lies at the bottom of the sea. Earlier this year, the Redmond, Washington, USA-based company concluded a 105-day trial of an underwater data center project. A team plunged a server rack encapsulated in a watertight steel cylinder 30 feet (9.1 meters) underwater off the coast of California. The capsule was outfitted with more than 100 sensors to measure pressure, humidity, motion and other conditions.
The ocean water keeps the servers cool, eliminating expensive energy bills and reducing the risk of crashes. Subsea data centers might even be able to power themselves using tidal power or underwater turbines. The challenge is creating units that can function without regular checkups. Microsoft estimates that an undersea system may be able to go up to 20 years at a time without maintenance.
To alleviate environmental concerns, the project team used acoustic sensors to determine if noise from the servers would disrupt ocean wildlife – and found that any sound from the system was drowned out by the clicking of nearby shrimp. Early tests also showed that heat generated by the servers only affected water a few inches around the vessel.
The project’s test phase was so successful that it ran 75 days longer than planned. Researchers believe that mass-producing server capsules can slash setup time of new data centers from two years to 90 days. If that’s the case, a big new wave of data center projects could be on the way.
Kelsey O’Conner
Data Center loaded on ship
Pic from NY Times
RSS Feed