Microsoft is testing underwater Data Centers

[That Norwegian Guy]

I'm shore we can wave our cheap/ free backup goodbye now. Not that it'll keel me, but this is knot what I wanted when I came here to stay up to date on current events.

[Elapo]

25 minutes ago, ShadowCaptain said:

Put it in space, its cold, and you can just use solar

 

and use lasers

Ping would suck though.

EDIT: Missed the lasers. Clouds would still fuck that up though.

4 hours ago, Lethal Seraph said:

So you have to be able to scuba dive, or able to drive a submersible to do a service on those servers then? That actually sounds good on a resume.

I'm not sure why everyone thinks they should be that deep. As long as they're submerged it's fine. There's literally no reason why they would place them in the middle of the ocean, it could easily be just off-shore, or even in a lake.

 

[ShadowCaptain]

Just now, Elapo said:

Ping would suck though.

I'm not sure why everyone thinks they should be that deep. As long as they're submerged it's fine. There's literally no reason why they would place them in the middle of the ocean, it could easily be just off-shore, or even in a lake.

 

What? you beam it with a big laser or something (im sure they could invent something)

This kind of idea

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-space_optical_communication

here is a 1gbps network made with some cheapo laser pointers

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/128207-1gbps-wireless-network-made-with-red-and-green-laser-pointers

 

 

[Elapo]

9 minutes ago, ShadowCaptain said:

What? you beam it with a big laser or something (im sure they could invent something)

This kind of idea

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free-space_optical_communication

here is a 1gbps network made with some cheapo laser pointers

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/128207-1gbps-wireless-network-made-with-red-and-green-laser-pointers

 

 

yeah, I missed the laser part  . My point still stands though.

We're still talking significant delay, even if we manage to ignore problems like clouds. 

Those satellites would have to be in geostationary orbit, which is about 35,786 km. That's 71,572 km when going both directions. Light travels at a speed of 300,000km/s, which means a delay of AT LEAST 238.6 ms. That's only the travel time of the light, not anything else. 

LASER isn't faster than radio waves, btw, both travel at light speed, and radio waves are omni directional, which makes "targeting" easier. A laser at this distance would be ridiculously hard to keep pointed at the right spot. Maybe throughput would be higher, but I'm not entirely sure of that.

 

[ShadowCaptain]

5 minutes ago, Elapo said:

yeah, I missed the laser part  . My point still stands though.

I am surprised you took my none serious idea so seriously in all fairness

[Elapo]

Just now, ShadowCaptain said:

I am surprised you took my none serious idea so seriously in all fairness

It's not because I use 3 numbers in my post that I take something very serious. 

Also, it's pretty hard to make out just from a short text-only post on a forum whether someone is being serious or just "joking".

[FloRolf]

I'd rather put it in a big river. Water moves faster, maintenance is WAY easier, it's not far away and there are more rivers out there.

10/10 microsoft, give me money.

[deviant88]

at least new jobs will be made for underwater diver IT fixers and plumbing

[RexinOridle]

Just freaking make data centers in Canada. Cooling is almost free and electricity is cheap.

[VerticalDiscussions]

1 hour ago, RexinOridle said:

-snip-

But, we cant endager the Black Bears and Mooses living there. You want that to happen!?

[AresKrieger]

This looks interesting, and seems practical for several reasons in my view, I tip my hat to you microsoft.

[RexinOridle]

1 hour ago, VerticalDiscussions said:

But, we cant endager the Black Bears and Mooses living there. You want that to happen!?

Not the moose and black bears man.

[warmmilk]

but what about melting ice caps and all that?  

 

dammit! when did I become a tree hugger?

[smeek14]

On 2/1/2016 at 4:31 PM, ObeseWalrus said:

lolno, global warming does not work that way.

Yea it does.