The data center submerged at sea by Microsoft in Scotland.

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SIPA

Plunging a data center underwater: if the idea seems far-fetched, it has nevertheless borne fruit.

According to Microsoft who carried out the experiment, the technique is not only more energy efficient but also more reliable.

This is the conclusion of the Natick project, reports Futura Tech.

In 2018, Microsoft locked up 864 servers corresponding to 27.6 petabytes of data storage in a huge cylindrical container 12 m long and placed it 35 m deep off the Orkney Islands (Scotland).

Project Natick: Microsoft very satisfied with its underwater datacenter https://t.co/fjyai3B0Pc #ProjectNatick pic.twitter.com/fqSBjPVd7G

- Generation-NT (@GNT_fr) September 15, 2020

Less attacked underwater

On earth, data centers are attacked by corrosion linked to the presence of oxygen, by humidity and by temperature variations.

By placing the servers in a waterproof enclosure, Microsoft assumed that they would end up in near constant temperature and humidity conditions.

The experiment is a resounding success: the underwater data center suffered only 12% of the usual failure rate observed for data centers on dry land.

For Microsoft, the project is as reliable as it is ecological, the data center having been powered by renewable energies.

More than 50% of the world's population living near a coast, it would therefore be tempting for the American giant to adopt submerged data centers.

This would ensure faster and smoother Internet browsing.

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