Reminds me [1]. Gmail like AI breaks loose and uses fully automated floating data centers. Highly recommend.
[1] book named "Avogadro Corp: The Singularity Is Closer Than It Appears:
Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?
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Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?
#52Something similar is being outfitted in Portland, ME. http://www.pressherald.com/news/Clues_emerging_about_mystery... The OP is a much better article (The Press Herald is garbage). My original guess for the barge-building in Portland was a ocean-based prison facility for the government to use for interrogations. But it's seeming like the floating data center idea is much more likely.
This is somewhat of a tangent, but how is the tech scene in Portland, ME? It's my hometown and I've had thoughts at various times about returning and setting up shop.
It really depends on what you want to do.
If you want to raise capital and build a startup here, don't. Or, at least, do so but with your "real" headquarters in Boston, NY or CA.
There's a strong effort to try and get things going, but there's a definite lack of capital and the capital you can find in other places will send you a consistent message: "We don't want you in Maine, move here instead."
There are some opportunities around maritime businesses (logistics, mostly) and lots of incentives for trying to build small manufacturing and renewable energy businesses... but the school closest to Portland is looking to close its physics department and the state officials responsible for managing the incentive programs have proven multiple times that they cannot be trusted to develop long-term programs.
If you have or can develop a remote-work type position, it's a great place to live and work from (as long as you can get good, reliable bandwidth).
But if you want to start a software-focused startup ... honestly ... it's an uphill battle.
Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?
#53It's being built at the same hangar where they shot the Battlebots TV shows.
Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?
#54Great article. It's nice to see journalists do actual investigative work, even if it is for something like this. Today's "journalism" seems to be all link-bait opinion pieces mixed in with copy-pastes from twitter.
I was thinking exactly the converse: why so much effort for gossip? It's pure tech celebrity gossip in my opinion and brings nothing to the party. Why not spend some more effort on the link between google and NSA? We still don't know how they steal our data.
I've seen hundreds of report regarding the link between Google & NSA. Isn't that enough?
This is just not gossip. It's not about Sergey Brin's love affair.
This is about a piece of technology that is possibly built by Google.
Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?
#55Can somebody explain the point behind the secrecy? What does Google have to gain by taking all these steps to hide they're the ones building it?
Perhaps corporate espionage/sabotage? Or maybe to keep things relatively low-key around the site.
Or perhaps the tech/approach is untested, and they want to do some preliminary tests/dry runs before putting their branding all over it.
These security measures are pretty tame in the grand scheme of things though. I think if google did want to completely mask their involvement, they would have at least issued different badges and credit cards to their employees on site.
Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, that's why I was trying to figure out how they would power it. Diesel generators seem... unGoogley.
Plug it in to the mains? I don't think you want tons of servers in the middle of the ocean. How would you get the data out without fibres anyway?
Why would you want it to be in the middle of the ocean? Keep it close the the coast, perhaps hook into a cable landing station (where submarine comm cables come ashore.) Running a submarine power cable also doesn't seem too far-fetched.
Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?
#57Great article. It's nice to see journalists do actual investigative work, even if it is for something like this. Today's "journalism" seems to be all link-bait opinion pieces mixed in with copy-pastes from twitter.
True, although it certainly seems like Google was half-assing it with the security. If you don't want something to be tied back to your company, don't have company employees work on it.
Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?
#58Somebody told them about docker and this is what they did....
Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?
#59Great article. It's nice to see journalists do actual investigative work, even if it is for something like this. Today's "journalism" seems to be all link-bait opinion pieces mixed in with copy-pastes from twitter.
I was thinking exactly the converse: why so much effort for gossip? It's pure tech celebrity gossip in my opinion and brings nothing to the party. Why not spend some more effort on the link between google and NSA? We still don't know how they steal our data.
You have a very broad definition of gossip.
Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?
#60This floating data centers could be used for more privacy/security. Very interesting article thanks.
I am having great mental images of pirate ships full of hackers attacking Google floating data centers in international waters. The floating data centers will of course be stoutly defended by a combination of machine gun wielding robots and Google engineers with laser beam interfaces for their Google Glass.