Servers Ahoy — Startup To Build Floating Data Centers

1sockchuck writes "Startup International Data Security says it is moving ahead with plans to build data centers on cargo ships docked in the San Francisco Bay. IDS first announced its plans in 2008, but they were postponed by the credit crunch. The company says it has now lined up funding and an anchor tenant for a proof-of-concept 'dataship' that will hold 500 racks of servers in its cargo holds. IDS isn't alone in contemplating ship-board server farms, as Google has applied for a patent for a 'water-based data center.'"

Comments

Re:Well

[Junior J. Junior III]

Does this mean that file sharing and sites like Wikileaks could just pull up anchor and go to the next country if being pressured by local law enforcement? Interesting the possibilities that this could have. Can think either bad or good, maybe even both.

No; as soon as they hit international water, they'd be a free target for anyone who hated them.

I'm not exactly sure how maritime law works, but I'd imagine they'd also be under the jurisdiction of whatever flag they happened to fly on their ship.

IF, however, they were able to set up a datacenter in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, they should be able to operate as they please, as there is no law there.