Tag: Data center

Microsoft to Build Under Water Data Centers

Building data centers underwater might sound bizarre but in the age where cars are starting to drive themselves, and computers can read the user’s mind, is it really something to be shocked at? Microsoft certainly doesn’t think so.

The global tech giant is currently working on something that it calls “Project Natick”, and its website states its purpose: “to understand the benefits and difficulties in deploying subsea data centers worldwide.”

No joke, it’s really happening. Microsoft has researched and tried out underwater data centers. This project was first proposed in 2014, and now it has effectively tested an underwater data center as part of Project Natick.

Microsoft said of the project, “Project Natick is a Microsoft research project to manufacture and operate an underwater data center…Project Natick reflects Microsoft’s ongoing quest for cloud data center solutions that provide rapid provisioning, lower costs, high responsiveness, and are more environmentally sustainable.”

The trial project which gave satisfactory results included a steel capsule placed 30 feet under the water in the Pacific Ocean. The capsule was covered with a range of sensors to monitor the kind of environmental challenges the capsule faced. Microsoft has revealed the findings of this trial project have given them great encouragement, and Microsoft has stressed that this could be the future of data center installations.

Data centers, which power basically everything we do on a daily basis contain thousands of computer servers which generate enormous amounts of heat which when not controlled properly can lead to crashing of these servers. Microsoft engineers say putting the data centers under cold ocean water could fix the problem.

Microsoft has also revealed that this new radical solution may be easier to install than current solutions which takes up to 2 years. The new system would be up and running in not more than 90 days.

February 3, 2016
Apple’s New $1.9 Billion European Data Centers Will Run Completely on Renewable Energy

Data centers are the bedrock of the smart device revolution. They take care of all the background processes that let us connect with the world using the various apps and service. As the usage base of services keeps increasing, companies have to constantly increase the size and volume of their data centers. These are some heavy energy consuming establishments. Apple is doing its part for the environment by investing 1.7 billion euros ($1.9 billion) to build a data center that runs on 100 percent renewable energy.

Apple will be establishing two data centers; one is Ireland and the other in Denmark. These centers will take on the traffic from their various services such as iTunes Store, App Store, iMessage, Maps and Siri for customers in Europe. Apple claims that this is their biggest project in Europe and will lead to the creation of hundreds of new jobs.

In Ireland, the town of Athenry, near Galway has been chosen as the site for the data center. The government of Ireland has said that the project will add close to 300 jobs in the country. It is certainly good news for the country where the unemployment rate stands at 10.50 percent of the population.

On the other hand, in Denmark, the City of Viborg in the western part of the country will house the second data centers. The massive investment from the American tech giant was welcomed by the government of Denmark.

The investment will be split evenly between the two sites. Apple’s dedication to renewable energy would get it support from the environmentalists who have long criticized massive tech corporations for utilizing coal-based power.

February 23, 2015
Apple to Spend $2 Billion to Turn the Sapphire Glass Plant Into a Data Center

One of the most anticipated features of the new iPhones was the sapphire glass screen that would have made it practically scratch proof. But after facing multiple issues, the plan was scrapped. Apple was setting up a sapphire glass plant in the US state of Arizona, but its partner filed for bankruptcy in October last year. Now Apple plans to pump in heavy investments to convert the facility into a data center.

Apple had partnered with GT Advanced Technologies Inc in 2013 to manufacture the scratch resistant sapphire glass screens. The plans were dropped later, and the new iPhones came with hardened glass instead.

Now the failed plant will be renovated into a data center that will assist Apple with its various services. The multibillion-dollar project is one of the largest investments made by Apple; the Cupertino-based giant is known for being conservative with its spending.

The data center will act as a command center for Apple’s other data centers and networks and will handle services like iTunes, iCloud, Siri, etc. Apple plans to stretch its $2 billion investment up to ten years with a further commitment of 30 years. The center is expected to be powered by solar energy which is appreciable as data centers are extremely power intensive buildings.

February 3, 2015