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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?

#241

Post by nandhp »

raverbashing wrote: post #205
hristov wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, this does not appear at all. It appears they want to save on real estate and cooling costs by having floating data centers. Google has owns so much real estate and immovable property in the US it is silly to suppose they are thinking of leaving the country just because they built a couple of barges.

> It appears they want to save on real estate and cooling costs by having floating data centers. Is this really that expensive that's still advantageous considering the costs of a barge + electricity + data link to the sea + fuel + maintenance ?

Not only is cold seawater usable for cooling, but the article mentions the feasibility of using the sea for power generation.

Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?

#242

Post by noir_lord »

thrownaway2424 wrote: post #147
Pxtl wrote: post #101

A massive floating data-centre out in international waters would be a pretty powerful protection against governmental interference in your business. Well, except for the military kind.

Yeah that last part of your thought is the only important one. Nobody, _nobody_ has better undersea cabling tapping abilities than the NSA.

Ahem, (Unfortunately as a Brit) I think Tempora/GCHQ might be up there with the NSA.

Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?

#243

Post by lstamour »

ademarre wrote: post #217
pilsetnieks wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At this point in the discussion, you could probably correlate it with the number of the letters "R" in the reports. Because we all know that it's the pirates' favorite letter.

Arrrrgh you would think so, but no, it's the C.

Ah, laughed out loud for this string of comments. Great job, all. And not a verge "combo breaker"-comment in sight.

Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?

#244

Post by [deleted] »

joezydeco wrote: post #19
apaprocki wrote: post #14

There are actually 4 "vessels". Look at the names -- using binary :) BAL0001 BY AND LARGE LLC * * C & C MARINE & REPAIR LLC 2010 Freight Barge 2164.0 249.6 BAL0010 BY AND LARGE LLC * * C & C MARINE 2011 Passenger Barge (Inspected) 2520.0 260.1 BAL0011 BY AND LARGE LLC * * C & C MARINE 2011 Passenger Barge (Inspected) 2520.0 260.1 BAL0100 BY AND LARGE LLC * * C & C MARINE 2012 Freight Barge 2164.0 249.6

FYI, "Buy N Large" was the fictional Costco-like store from Pixar's WALL-E.

[deleted]

Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?

#245

Post by lstamour »

mark212 wrote: post #46
narfquat wrote: post #5

Seems pretty telling to me, with the patent and coffee shop cashier testimonial. I wonder how the hardware will hold up to the environmental harshnesses of the open water? Or even just sea spray...

I thought that was the best part: corp spends tens of thousands in lawyer time and craftiness to be stealthy, but forgets that it gives corp-branded charge cards to its employees, who won't spend $3.50 on a latte while on company time (and forget to ditch their badges when offsite).

Reminds me of the fake Apple company names and back stories when they were building the iPhone and had to meet with cellular companies. (I guess Steve Jobs was less recognizable back then?)

Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?

#246

Post by breischl »

ams6110 wrote: post #229
breischl wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The newest Azure data center in Iowa(?) was going to be open air. Basically a pile of these containers in a field, with a big fence over it and a roof similar to a big car-port (no walls). They figured it was going to be better for cooling.

Iowa? Doesn't sound like a great idea, they have tornadoes there, which can easily throw shipping containers around.

Yep, outside Des Moines. I don't have a reference for the rest of it, that was from conversations with MS employees.

http://www.eweek.com/cloud/microsoft-parks-cloud-over-700m-i...

Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?

#247

Post by kordless »

dragonwriter wrote: post #140
kordless wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If this actually worked, there would be boats sitting in the middle of the Atlantic and Pacific with computers on them. I have no idea if they are sitting there, but I'm pretty sure if it was an idea that worked, it would be done by now.

It's a fairly common (and silly) dismissal of any new effort that "if it worked, someone else would already be doing it".

Except I didn't dismiss the idea. I'll restate, "Given the urgency and reward behind efforts around gaining advantages of market trades, I can assure you if it's technically possible, they've done it and perhaps we don't know about it."

Notice I did NOT state the corollary, "I don't see trading boats in the Pacific, so it's not possible to do.". I suppose that could be accidently inferred from my statement, but that was not my intent.

Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?

#248

Post by dragonwriter »

judk wrote: post #221
dragonwriter wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a fairly common (and silly) dismissal of any new effort that "if it worked, someone else would already be doing it".

It is theoretically sound: TANSTAAFL

It is theoretically sound if you assume that the present state is equivalent to the long-term equilibrium (e.g., ignore friction.)

Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?

#249

Post by VikingCoder »

205guy wrote: post #61
VikingCoder wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An earthquake can cause a tsunami. Depending on conditions, the tsunami wave could be hundreds of feet high. So, not earthquake "proof."

No more Hollywood movies for you. The only "tsunamis" with "waves" hundreds of feet high are created by cliffs or glaciers collapsing. And even then, the wave height is really the run-up against another cliff or mountain. Such waves can be dangerous to boats in confined waters, such as a bay. In the open ocean, tsunami waves are mostly harmless and even barely noticeable to boats. And all this is moot because the sli…

Such as the San Francisco Bay, where this currently is?

Also, the Japanese Earthquake killed a guy in California:

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42024659/ns/

It doesn't need to be a close earthquake to kill people.

Re: Is Google building a hulking floating data center in SF Bay?

#250

Post by vanni »

apaprocki wrote: post #14

There are actually 4 "vessels". Look at the names -- using binary :) BAL0001 BY AND LARGE LLC * * C & C MARINE & REPAIR LLC 2010 Freight Barge 2164.0 249.6 BAL0010 BY AND LARGE LLC * * C & C MARINE 2011 Passenger Barge (Inspected) 2520.0 260.1 BAL0011 BY AND LARGE LLC * * C & C MARINE 2011 Passenger Barge (Inspected) 2520.0 260.1 BAL0100 BY AND LARGE LLC * * C & C MARINE 2012 Freight Barge 2164.0 249.6

Hypothesis found in comments on OP website:

BY AND LARGE = Brin sergeY AND LARry paGE?

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