As Sebastian once sang “Just look at the world around you, right here on the ocean floor, such wonderful things surround you, what more is you lookin’ for?” To which Ariel interrupted with “Microsoft’s 40-foot data centre!”
Oh wait. That bit didn’t make the cut.
But quite like Ariel, Microsoft want to explore the other side.
It was announced last week that Microsoft, master of all gadgets, gizmos, whozits and whatzits, have installed a data centre prototype on the seafloor near Scotland’s Orkney Islands.
A 40-foot-long submarine like structure, the prototype is capable of holding 864 servers and can operate for up to five years without any maintenance.
But why?
Although the project sounds like something we’d see in the next Hollywood sci-fi movie (think Disney grown up), it’s grounded in the real world, with real world solutions. Our rapidly increasing demand on technology, particularly eco-friendly technology and cloud computing infrastructure is forcing organisations to think outside the box, and become innovators within their industry.
The project seeks to develop self-sufficient underwater data centres that can deliver cloud data more efficiently to coastal cities. Considering over half the world’s population live within 120 miles of the coast, and facilities on land become harder to source amongst sprawling towns and cities, it’s hoped the pioneering move will deliver a sustainable solution.
Deepwater deployment eradicates the issue of over-heating servers here on land, which requires huge volumes of electricity to maintain a controlled temperature. It also offers the opportunity for organisations to explore renewable energy sources such as tidal energy technology.
Whilst we don’t yet have the infrastructure to install underwater servers, here at Infuse Technology we do offer leading cloud computing infrastructure services. Please get in touch with one of our experts to see how we can help.
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