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Re:Microsoft has sunk a data centre in the sea to investigat... by Moter8 on Wednesday June 06, 2018 @04:53AM (#17245454)
Even Greenpeace at least doesn't think that it's a bad idea:

"Experimental underwater data centres could be more sustainable if connected to offshore wind power, but Microsoft must focus more on investing in new renewable energy now. [...]"

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35472189

Re:Microsoft has sunk a data centre in the sea to investigat... by foobarchu on Wednesday June 06, 2018 @04:18PM (#17250733)
My understanding is that MS took that to heart on this second round. The article claimed they choose Orkney as the site of the new datacenter precisely because they have an excess of renewable energy.
Re:Microsoft has sunk a data centre in the sea to investigat... by becomingknown on Wednesday June 06, 2018 @09:25AM (#17246931)
That's kind of a clever idea to promote renewable energy.
Re:Microsoft has sunk a data centre in the sea to investigat... by gascan on Wednesday June 06, 2018 @12:02PM (#17248219)
Coupling an undersea datacenter with an offshore windfarm just sounds all-around clever.
Re:Microsoft has sunk a data centre in the sea to investigat... by reaperducer on Wednesday June 06, 2018 @01:51PM (#17249367)
Until a hurricane destroys it.
Re:Microsoft has sunk a data centre in the sea to investigat... by carapace on Thursday June 07, 2018 @10:45AM (#17256176)
Build all above-surface structures out of inflatables. During heavy weather deflate and retract (5-10m). Use simple solid-state generators, e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaneless_ion_wind_generator
Re:Microsoft has sunk a data centre in the sea to investigat... by solarkraft on Wednesday June 06, 2018 @08:30PM (#17252314)
Are other structures safer against hurricanes?
Re:Microsoft has sunk a data centre in the sea to investigat... by zucan on Wednesday June 06, 2018 @09:12PM (#17252479)
An underground data center would work if hurricane safety is your top concern. In any case a location on land is probably cheaper to rebuild.
Re:Microsoft has sunk a data centre in the sea to investigat... by RealityVoid on Friday June 08, 2018 @03:51AM (#17263454)
I think an eventual hurricane would not destroy the data center, only just the wind turbines.
Re:Microsoft has sunk a data centre in the sea to investigat... by therealdrag0 on Monday June 11, 2018 @12:49AM (#17281895)
What about earthquakes then?