The NYTimes Bits Blog reports:
The search and advertising company has filed for a patent
that describes a “water-based data center.” The idea is that Google
would create mobile data center platforms out at sea by stacking
containers filled with servers, storage systems and networking gear on
barges or other platforms.This would let Google push computing centers closer to people in
some regions where it’s not feasible, cost-effective or as efficient to
build a data center on land. In short, Google brings the data closer to
you, and then the data arrives at a quicker clip.Perhaps even more intriguing to some, Google has theorized about
powering these ocean data centers with energy gained just from water
splashing against the side of the barges.
Hmmm, do I spy the work of Patri Friedman, libertarian, Googler and seasteading proponent? Perhaps the seasteaders are ensuring that they have good internet access. As you may recall, Paypal entrepreneur Peter Theil is backing the seasteaders so there is more than one Silicon Valley entrepreneur with an eye on the sea.
By the way, the First Annual Seasteading Conference will be held in Burlingame, CA on October 10. The conference is sure to be interesting but shouldn’t it have been held here?
I question the idea that places where “it’s not feasible, cost-effective or as efficient to build a data center on land” are going to be the kinds of places that have the infrastructure to even benefit from the supposed increase in network speed. Traditional internet requires extensive wire-to-the-curb controlled by a sophisticated network. Wireless requires ubiquitous transmitters linked by a similar network.
Let them file patents all the they want. Meanwhile the real economy, such as it is, trudges on.
Seasteading seems very interesting. I had the oppurtunity to interview Patri about it for a recent Podcrash (the official podcast of Bureaucrash, the Smaller Government/pro-market activist group) http://bureaucrash.com/node/podcrash-013-patri-friedman-seasteading-interview
Is the 21st century equivalent of Radio Caroline the pirate datacentre?
Y’all are way behind on noticing that the patent system is totally fucked up. Like, decades behind. Maybe we need to start trying some new systems somewhere else…hmm….:)
“A patent will do no good in seasteading: it’s extraterritorial and thus outside of patent law.” -Mike Huben
Mike, where do you think people are going to build these seasteads? I’d guess somewhere that respects patent law.
I am all about google going the seasteading route, but a patent? You have to be joking. I have prior art going back to 2000, actually implemented. If you want theory, you can go to cypherpunks, circa 1994. If you want novel, (as in fiction, not new), you can go to Cryptonomicon.
Patent? What crack have google lawyers been smoking?
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