Skip to content

Watch your data being saved underwater, live

Microsoft’s Project Natick now has two live camera feeds showing fish around their underwater data centers.

One of the big problems for server farms is heat.  All those computers generate a lot of heat that must be dissipated somehow.  Microsoft’s servers store your OneDrive files, Azure data, run Office cloud features and a lot more.

Project Natick is testing the idea of submerging entire server complexes into cold seawater which can absorb the heat easily.

Now you can see the project live from the Orkney Islands, Scotland via two cameras – see Project Natick.

Any scuba diver knows that sea life loves man made objects.  At first bacteria and algae grow on the metal surfaces followed by fish and larger creatures looking for food and protection.  The heat from the server containers is a bonus! Both Microsoft cameras already have algae on the lenses.

Each Natick server block is about the size of a shipping container with 864 servers and 27.6 petabytes of disk space (that’s almost 32 Terabytes per server).

Of course, there are network and power connections to the surface.  One reason the test servers are in Scotland is the ready access to renewable power as well as the cold, cold water!

If successful, underwater servers could be deployed near major seaside cities around the world as part of a larger network.

About this author

Office-Watch.com

Office Watch is the independent source of Microsoft Office news, tips and help since 1996. Don't miss our famous free newsletter.