Google Patent Reveals New Data Center Innovations

miller60 writes "'Google is seeking to patent a system that provides precision cooling inside racks of servers, automatically adjusting to temperature changes while reducing the energy required to run chillers.' The cooling design uses an adjustable piping system featuring 'air wands' that provide small amounts of cold air to components within a server tray. The cooling design, which could help Google reduce the power bill for its servers, reinforces Google's focus on data center innovation as a competitive advantage. Check out the patent application and a diagram of the system."

Comments

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[MichaelSmith]

There have been 17000 youtube searches for Natalie Portman naked in the last 450 milliseconds. We need a burst of cold air on rack 1000001, processor 304 on the second chip on the third stick of RAM.

Re:At least we know the DB servers are cool

[miller60]

Yes, we were down. The previous database turned out to be a girly man database. We're back now with a (hopefully) manlier database.

Re:Does this pass the "Evil" smell test?

[j1m 5n0w]

Also, they're not stopping anyone from using it

That's pretty much the only thing you can do with a patent, stop someone else from using it. (Licensing is just an agreement not to exercise that power.)

I see several explanations for Google applying for a patent:

• They want licensing revenue (unlikely)
• They want to patent the technique before someone else does (possible, but they could have simply published the technique)
• They want an arsenal of patents they never intend to enforce, but they can use as a threat against companies whose patents Google is infringing (more likely - this is pretty much standard practice in the corporate world these days)
• They patented the technique out of pure bureaucratic inertia - it's just what corporations typically do in this situation, as it's the least-risk choice (also likely)

I wouldn't consider any of these particularly evil, but it is inconvenient for smaller organizations who might want to use the technique, but don't want to go through the hassle of negotiating with Google (who might just ignore their request for licensing).

Re:Same heat flow

[Mr. Suck]

You are right - you need to remove exactly as much heat as the equipment is generating. The energy savings with this scheme is due to the fact efficiency of chillers is lowest when asked to produce coldest output. Traditional data centers keep the hot parts cold by keeping everything very cold. Efficiency is improved if you can run your chiller at a higher output temperature and compensate for the reduced effectiveness of the warmer air by directing it where it is most needed.