The underwater data center is the future of the cloud, according to Microsoft Research
With the expansion of cloud services, technology giants like Facebook, Amazon, and Google are redoubling their efforts to optimize the cost and power of their data centers. Microsoft Research has developed a radical concept: a submarine data center.
With the advent of the cloud, the need for data centers is growing. Their operators are therefore seeking to reduce the costs as much as possible. One of the most difficult points in this area is the cooling of these server farms, which account for the majority of their energy consumption. Microsoft Research believes that it has found a solution to optimize these costs: put servers on the bottom of the ocean.
Microsoft's research division unveiled on February 1 the Natick project , which aims to test the viability of underwater data centers. The first test took place between August and November 2015. The team in charge of the project installed for three months a rack of servers at the bottom of the sea, at 800 meters of the pacific coast of the United States . The servers, of a power equivalent to that of 300 desktops, were on board an experimental vessel dubbed Leona Philpot , measuring 3 x 2 meters and weighing 17 tons.
SIMPLER, LESS EXPENSIVE, MORE ECO-FRIENDLY
In addition to the huge cooling benefit (even compared to a typical liquid cooling device), Microsoft is highlighting the potential latency gains this solution would bring. According to researchers, half of the world's population lives 200 km or less from the sea, which would allow data centers to be closer to major urban centers.
The other advantage of this approach would be the standardization of equipment. No need to take into account complex and unique environments for each project (building permit, geography, climate ...). As conditions in marine environments are very similar, a Natick data center could be developed very quickly (the test version was built in just 90 days), compared to one to two years ago. And they are far from damaging the marine fauna and flora, which in three months have completely appropriated the Leona Philpot . Finally, with a view to sustainable development, the centers could draw some of their energy from renewable sources (tidal, wave or tidal).
WORK IN PROGRESS
However, the system has its drawbacks: it is very difficult to go directly to machine maintenance, which has prompted Microsoft to fine-tune access and remote maintenance technologies. An on-site check was only performed once a month by a professional diver. For now, the concept assumes that each unit would remain underwater for five years before being completely replaced.
While there is still no guarantee that the concept is economically viable, Microsoft Research says it has learned a lot from this first test, and is now preparing for the next step. The device will this time be four times larger and 20 times more powerful than the last, could remain immersed for at least a year, and would be accompanied by a renewable energy source.
With the advent of the cloud, the need for data centers is growing. Their operators are therefore seeking to reduce the costs as much as possible. One of the most difficult points in this area is the cooling of these server farms, which account for the majority of their energy consumption. Microsoft Research believes that it has found a solution to optimize these costs: put servers on the bottom of the ocean.
Microsoft's research division unveiled on February 1 the Natick project , which aims to test the viability of underwater data centers. The first test took place between August and November 2015. The team in charge of the project installed for three months a rack of servers at the bottom of the sea, at 800 meters of the pacific coast of the United States . The servers, of a power equivalent to that of 300 desktops, were on board an experimental vessel dubbed Leona Philpot , measuring 3 x 2 meters and weighing 17 tons.
SIMPLER, LESS EXPENSIVE, MORE ECO-FRIENDLY
In addition to the huge cooling benefit (even compared to a typical liquid cooling device), Microsoft is highlighting the potential latency gains this solution would bring. According to researchers, half of the world's population lives 200 km or less from the sea, which would allow data centers to be closer to major urban centers.
The other advantage of this approach would be the standardization of equipment. No need to take into account complex and unique environments for each project (building permit, geography, climate ...). As conditions in marine environments are very similar, a Natick data center could be developed very quickly (the test version was built in just 90 days), compared to one to two years ago. And they are far from damaging the marine fauna and flora, which in three months have completely appropriated the Leona Philpot . Finally, with a view to sustainable development, the centers could draw some of their energy from renewable sources (tidal, wave or tidal).
WORK IN PROGRESS
However, the system has its drawbacks: it is very difficult to go directly to machine maintenance, which has prompted Microsoft to fine-tune access and remote maintenance technologies. An on-site check was only performed once a month by a professional diver. For now, the concept assumes that each unit would remain underwater for five years before being completely replaced.
While there is still no guarantee that the concept is economically viable, Microsoft Research says it has learned a lot from this first test, and is now preparing for the next step. The device will this time be four times larger and 20 times more powerful than the last, could remain immersed for at least a year, and would be accompanied by a renewable energy source.
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