Microsoft has announced the successful testing of the prototype data center project Project Natick. This data center is designed to accommodate at a depth of several hundred meters below the ocean's surface, according to the publication The New York Times.
Microsoft believe that these subsea data center has several important advantages over the "ground" counterparts. In the ocean, the question is simplified cooling, and here it turns out much more efficient than air. Also to underwater capsules can connect turbines and tidal power system, thereby providing data center power, at least partially. More so, the capsule can be deployed within 90 days, whereas on the ground it takes about two years. The service life of underwater data centers will be around 20 years, and every five years will be carried out their modernization.
The first prototype, called Leona Philpot, which is a metal capsule with a diameter of 2.5 meters to the connected fiber optic cable, was placed in the Pacific Ocean off the west coast of the United States. There, he worked for 105 days, from August to November 2015. The capsule is constructed in such a way that most effectively transmit the heat from the computing components into the environment, that is the ocean. Also inside it is filled with compressed nitrogen, which also contributed to a better heat transfer. In addition to the data center facility in the camera is different sensors that monitor the pressure level , humidity and other parameters.
Microsoft say that the experiment was successful, and the results exceeded the expectations of even the developers. Related Products :
|