Google's Chiller-Less Data Center

1sockchuck writes "Google has begun operating a data center in Belgium that has no chillers to support its cooling systems, which will improve energy efficiency but make weather forecasting a larger factor in its network management. With power use climbing, many data centers are using free cooling to reduce their reliance on power-hungry chillers. By foregoing chillers entirely, Google will need to reroute workloads if the weather in Belgium gets too warm. The facility also has its own water treatment plant so it doesn't need to use potable water from a local utility."

What's next?

[ickleberry]

If it wasn't for the required internet connectivity google could go off the grid completely. But they already own so much fibre and the public internet seems to need google more than they need it.

Soon they will generate all their own power from wind and solar, convert all their employees shit to power so they don't need the sewerage system either, send all their traffic through the network of low earth orbit satellites they are about to launch which also conveniently beam solar power back down to them.

So basically at the end of the day they will be able to buy or swindle a plot of land from some country with low tax, bring in all their own employees, contribute absolutely nothing to the local economy and leave when the sun goes down. It's great really, saves them on lawyers that would otherwise help them pussyfoot through the swaths of modern over-regulation and the satellites will help them get past any censorship / connectivity problems.

And if China start shooting down their satellites, Google will make satellites that shoot back

Reroute the weather instead

[basementman]

Why not just reroute the weather? Once google gets into cloud seeding and all that they really will be SkyNet.

Re:Reroute the weather instead

[ickleberry]

They've done cloud computing, so cloud seeding should be a piece of cake

Investing

[corychristison]

I think Google needs to start investing some time and money into buying or building Nuclear Power Facilities.

It could pay off for them, because they certainly don't need all of the power they would generate, and could sell some back to the Country/State/Region they build it in.

Sounds like a win-win to me.

P.S. - Please don't start a flame war about how Nuclear Power is 'unclean' or 'dangerous' -- in today's society it is cleaner, more efficient and just as safe, if not safer, than coal-fired generators.

Re:Global warming

[lewko]

No. They will just sponsor Al Gore to speak about global warming at a local meeting. Thanks to the Gore Effect [news.com.au], the temperature usually drops dramatically as soon as Gore arrives.

Re:Reroute the weather instead

[e9th]

Bill Gates is already working on that. [nola.com] Google could send hurricanes his way, and Bill could try to kill them.

Re:Unreliable...

[SlashV]

So basically everything gets rerouted on a hot day.

Exactly, and you can stop googling, get out of the basement and go to the beach. How bad is that ?

Re:Global warming

[schon]

Guess they'll be in big trouble when global warming strikes Belgium!

Don't be silly. Everyone knows that Belgium doesn't really exist. [zapatopi.net]

Re:What's next?

[Anonymous Coward]

I am totally buying Google stock if they do this.

Re:What's next?

[Anonymous Coward]

You can't generate power from Google employees shit; power generation requires stinky shit and their shit does not stink.