In 2015, starfish, octopus, crabs and other
Pacific Ocean life stumbled upon a temporary addition to the seafloor, more
than half a mile from the shoreline: a 38,000-pound container. But in the
ocean, 10 feet by 7 feet is quite small. The shrimp exploring the seafloor made
more noise than the data center inside the container, which consumed computing
power equivalent to 300 desktop PCs.
The technology to put sealed vessels underwater
with computers inside isn’t new. In fact, it was one Microsoft employee’s (Sean
James) experience serving on submarines that carry sophisticated equipment that
got the ball rolling on this project. But Microsoft researchers do believe this
is the first time a data center has been deployed below the ocean’s surface.
Going under water could solve several problems by introducing a new power
source, greatly reducing cooling costs, closing the distance to connected
populations and making it easier and faster to set up data centers.
Ben Cutler, the project manager who led the
team behind this experiment, dubbed Project Natick, is part of a group within
Microsoft Research that focuses on special projects. Sean James says, “what
helped me bridge the gap between data centers and underwater is that I’d seen
how you can put sophisticated electronics under water, and keep it shielded
from salt water. It goes through a very rigorous testing and design process. So
I knew there was a way to do that.”
This initial test vessel wouldn’t be too far
off-shore, so they could hook into an existing electrical grid, but being in
the water raised an entirely new possibility: using the hydro kinetic energy
from waves or tides for computing power. This could make data centers work
independently of existing energy sources, located closer to coastal cities,
powered by renewable ocean energy.
That’s one of the big advantages of the
underwater data center scheme – reducing latency by closing the distance to populations
and thereby speeding data transmission. Half of the world’s population, Cutler
says, lives within 120 miles of the sea, which makes it an appealing option.
The advantages of water are numerous. Submarine
or floating data centers could use tidal-fueled turbines to generate power, for
example. And, ocean water is cooler than ambient air, so A/C costs would be cut
to the bone. Other companies are placing their new data centers in cooler
climates. This project also shows it’s possible to deploy
data centers faster, turning it from a construction project – which require
permits and other time-consuming aspects – to a manufacturing one. Building the
vessel that housed the experimental data center only took 90 days. Cooling
is an important aspect of data centers, which normally run up substantial costs
operating chiller plants and the like to keep the computers inside from
overheating. The cold environment of the deep seas automatically makes
data centers less costly and more energy efficient.
Reference: Microsoft News
