The king of innovation
Google, has once again come up with a surprise that will bring a smile on the
face of its vast fan base, worldwide. Although initially Google denied
acceptance of ownership, the technology firm has confirmed that the “Floating
data center” is owned by them. Yes, you heard it right! Google now has a
complete data center infrastructure floating on a barge in San Francisco bay!
Is this all hype or does it really serve a purpose? Let’s have a closer look at
the details collected from various sources.
Google has always been
innovating with available resources in order to maximize their profitability
and productivity. This instinct has taken the company from a mere “search
engine” provider to a global technological phenomenon. This instinct has lately
been seen during the alpha-level launch of Google Glass technology. Google’s
floating data center that stood about five stories tall, appeared on San
Francisco bay last week. The structure was massive and attracted the attention
of a huge crowd. Although the structure was visible to the public, access was
strictly restricted and security was at maximum. The initial response from the
public was that the structure was part of some “secret project”. This false
notion was quickly corrected as the Coast Guard confirmed that the barge is
owned by Google.
Looking
back at Google’s level of innovation, the company has always preferred thinking
outside the box. This trend was clearly displayed in Google’s plans to use
“weather balloon” like structures to bring high speed Internet to cities and
towns. On close analysis, we can understand that Google has one more core
driving force behind each of their revolutionary innovations and that is “cost
cutting”! This has been the same motivation behind the development of the
floating barge. Here are a few facts about the floating barge:
·
Floating barges minimize the hurdles
of renting or purchasing real estate in the suburbs or downtown. The cost
incurred would be limited to setting up a concrete barge and modern day
containers in which the data center infrastructure is stored.
·
Google plans to maximize the use of
their virtualization technology to manage and monitor the data center. As the
infrastructure is smaller in size, management overheads will be minimized too.
·
The barge is expected to reduce
“cooling costs” by utilizing alternate cooling mechanisms, which are cheaper.
Although shipping containers are going to be more costly than conventional data
center buildings, Google is expected to figure out the best solution for this
concern.
·
Google data centers are currently
running at an 85% utilization rate which is expected to be shared by such
upcoming projects.
·
Such “unconventional” mechanisms are
also aimed at fuelling the cloud service (SaaS) phenomenon in a big way.
·
Updation of hardware and technology
is easier as a new shipping container/barge can be released replacing the
obsolete one.
Although there are
numerous speculations and assumptions as to what the mammoth structure is,
there is still no confirmation about the actual intentions and plans of Google.
There are reports from KPIX5 channel that the barge is a “floating store” for
Google Glass. According to the news, Google will be completing the structure at
Treasure Island and then shipping the structure to Fort Mason. KPIX5 mentioned
that the structure will be anchored at Fort Mason where it would be opened for
public. So, all that we spectators can do is be patient and wait for the
suspense to be revealed by Google…
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