When supercomputers get together, things get hot fast. Our photo gallery reveals how modern datacentres are cooled, and gives an insight into Google's secret solution to the problem.
Google is highly secretive about the datacenters it builds and won't share details about its power consumption. However, reducing the load of its servers is among one of the company's many green goals.
While Google keeps a tight lid on information about it's datacentres, former Google employee Lloyd Taylor said the company builds modular, scalable datacentres. Australian director of engineering Alan Noble said the efficiency of Google's datacentres was the real "secret sauce" behind the company.
The Mountain View, Calif., headquarters of Google features 1.6 megawatts of solar panels, which generate one-third of its electricity. One of these eight solar rooftops is visible on the right. On a cloudy Friday, a single 135-watt inverter was getting 50 watts.
Although its servers aren't solar-powered, the search giant is considering that option, according to Taliver Heath, Google's "power beagle." Proximity to cheap hydroelectric power was reportedly an attraction for locating a server center in The Dalles, Ore.
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