Microsoft's underwater datacenter: Project Natick

Introducing Microsoft Project Natick, a Microsoft research project to manufacture and operate an underwater datacenter. The initial experimental prototype vessel, christened the Leona Philpot after a popular Xbox game character, was operated on the seafloor approximately one kilometer off the Pacific coast of the United States from August to November of 2015. Project Natick reflects Microsoft’s ongoing quest for cloud datacenter solutions that offer rapid provisioning, lower costs, high responsiveness, and are more environmentally sustainable.

[fuzaitux]

Damn.. now the network guy has to be a certified scuba diver too.

[semmicolon]

Taking liquid cooling to the next level

[ayan.debnath]

We have to redefine the phase - "The Server is down!"
New Meaning: The data-center containing the servers has been sent underwater :)

[AlexRaGeAHoLiC]

That awkward moment where even Microsoft research uses Google Chrome instead Edge haha

[chazzychaz]

how you replace the faulty hdd or other hardware issue ? seems like a very expensive way for maintenance

*"It's is REAL Deep Web"*

[Zak_ell]

That's Amazing !
I imagine powering the stations with the energy of waves, power of the Ocean !!! works for ever :D

[gadva]

I wonder if it changes the underwater-environment if you heat up the seas with the waste heat?

[Sweenus]

"kind of like launching a satellite into space" wrong direction bub. Really cool idea, I can see it taking off fairly quickly. In the future would the entire data-center be composed of numerous modules that can be removed and replaced if need be, like what they already put in the water but a large number of them (and connected to a central hub maybe)?

[hardwarelabor]

This can be the future of the Datacenter

[merlevangennip]

They mentioned they remove the oxygen in the tank. What kind of gas would be inexpensive and prevent oxidation?

[jj]

it was only operational for 3-4 months? (i assume they pulled it up after that, not that it failed)... comeON

"was operated on the seafloor approximately one kilometer off the Pacific coast of the United States *from August to November of 2015*."

[rem]

As is the Microsoft way, This will never see the light of day.

[ab]

this looks like something posted for April 1st. I had to take a second look at the published date..

[SergiuM]

Speeds and feeds & slots and watts are important, but from an environmental point of view this project will only make sense if at least part of that heat is reused in some way, for example at extracting salt...

[joshkbbe]

Gives a new meaning to Davy Jones Locker!

[Buckets]

Are they really just dropping them to the bottom? Surely suspending them from a rig allows them some control over maintenance, and also security.

[darshank]

Great work.

I would like to join such project.

[MmUe]

Interesting Project but I have some doubts :

Where does it draw power from? The boat engine? Or Self-Sustain?

How about connectivity? Need to lay wires from inside and to outside ? Using Base station to link up??

[maxboostedsupra]

Aaaaand what's the procedure for drive failures? Cool idea, but sounds expensive.