We found this nugget about Microsoft’s Project Natick – a ground-breaking research project that is exploring the idea that data centres, which are the backbone of the internet, can be positioned on the sea floor.
Keeping up with consumer demands
Living through the 4th Industrial Revolution as the IT generation, we have the world at our fingertips. Any and every piece of information is just a click away for most of us on our mobile phones. So, it is easy to take technology for granted. And as our reliance on technology is increasing, so do the demands we place on it. Microsoft is responding to these demands with underwater data centres.
Scotland an IT hub for data centre experiment
Phase 2 of this super exciting project has just begun in the Orkney Islands in Scotland. They are lowering an eco-friendly data centre into the water. This is a shipping-container-sized prototype which will be left in the sea for a set period before being recovered. The prototype can hold data and process information for up to 5 years without maintenance. The beauty of being immersed in the seabed is that it is naturally cooled.
The Scottish Government is fully supportive of the project. Their Energy Minister said: “With our supportive policy environment, skilled supply chain, and our renewable energy resources and expertise, Scotland is the ideal place to invest in projects such as this. It helps to strengthen Scotland’s position as a champion of the new ideas and innovation that will shape the future.”
Super-sonic data centres
Despite being as powerful as several thousand high-end consumer PC’s, the data uses minimal energy. This underwater data centre includes 12 racks with 864 servers and 27.6 petabytes of storage. That’s enough storage for around 5 million movies! Remarkably it’s powered by tidal turbines and wave energy containers which generate electricity from the movement of the sea. So, its powered by renewable energy.
If you consider that almost half of the world’s population lives near large bodies of water having data centres closer to billions of people using the internet will ensure faster and smoother web browsing, video streaming and gaming, while businesses can enjoy AI-driven technologies.
Peter Lee, corporate vice-president of Microsoft AI and Research, said Project Natick’s demands are “crazy”, but these are the lengths our company is going to make potentially revolutionary ideas a reality. “Only by demanding more of ourselves as a technology company will we meet the demands of our customers.”
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