Google to build floating datacenters in international waters

[Kafein]

What advantages? It's just datacenters, the actual company is still located wherever it currently is and thus subject to laws, right?

It doesn't exactly work like that for everything. In international waters, companies can sell you duty-free stuff for example, even though these companies are subject to their country's laws. International waters are ruled by a special international code of law that mainly tells you what to do when you encounter other ships.

A floating datacenter is also de facto more secure against action from whatever entity because it would mean going on-site.

[Zaalback]

Guys ! What if a huge tsunami happens and rock the data center upside down ? :O

[Kafein]

Guys ? What if a huge tsunami happens and rock the data center upside down ? :O

Unless the datacenters are based in "shallow" water, a tsunami won't do anything. A tsunami isn't a superwave, it's a wall of water that grows by colliding with the soil. In the middle of the ocean, there's a huge column of water between you and the tsunami-induced movement.

[Zaalback]

Unless the datacenters are based in "shallow" water, a tsunami won't do anything. A tsunami isn't a superwave, it's a wall of water that grows by colliding with the soil. In the middle of the ocean, there's a huge column of water between you and the tsunami-induced movement.

Well yea unless they don't build those close to the coasts , they are safe from tsunamis . But what about the Somalian pirates huh ?! What about them ? (I bet they can navigate through any oceans to plunder an innocent data center)

[cmp]

A few miles offshore is not the middle of the ocean.

[Xant]

Depends on the ocean, mmmkay?

[Kafein]

A few miles offshore is not the middle of the ocean.

A few miles outside of the exclusive economic zone of the USA on the west coast is well into the ocean

[Joseph Porta]

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[cmp]

A few miles outside of the exclusive economic zone of the USA on the west coast is well into the ocean

Except it says 3 to 7 miles offshore which is "a bit" less than 200.
Also, it's a barge with a flat hull. Good luck putting that in the middle of the ocean.

[Kafein]

Except it says 3 to 7 miles offshore which is "a bit" less than 200.
Also, it's a barge with a flat hull. Good luck putting that in the middle of the ocean.

"offshore" is not an easy word that challenges my understanding of english in this context, so I can't really comment on that.

Now, what would be wrong with a flat hull barge ? It would be anchored and stuff right ?

[cmp]

Now, what would be wrong with a flat hull barge ? It would be anchored and stuff right ?

A sea anchor only slows you down, and you can't attach an undersea cable to something that is moving. Also with that shape it wouldn't fare well in a storm.
Anyway, it's not like they wanted to do it that way: their "floating datacenter" patent mentions 3 to 7 miles from the coast (not international waters)

[Son Of Odin]

Why does it have to float? Why not put it on the bottom of the sea instead so you could put under sea cable there. Water temperature should be constant unlike in the surface water.

[Kafein]

A sea anchor only slows you down, and you can't attach an undersea cable to something that is moving. Also with that shape it wouldn't fare well in a storm.
Anyway, it's not like they wanted to do it that way: their "floating datacenter" patent mentions 3 to 7 miles from the coast (not international waters)

Well in that case it wouldn't really acheive anything but reduced cooling costs, right ? Thanks, misleading articles :/

Why does it have to float? Why not put it on the bottom of the sea instead so you could put under sea cable there. Water temperature should be constant unlike in the surface water.

That would be orders of magnitude more difficult if even possible with our current technology.

[Joseph Porta]

Id rather expect them to anchor it to the seabed, with some sort of frame that allows the water to flow through freely cooling it. Having it on the floor would probably also be easier with installing cables over the seafloor..

Does it evenhave to be a constant temperature? As long as it stays beneath a certain point it should be good, right?

[Son Of Odin]

That would be orders of magnitude more difficult if even possible with our current technology.

Well it seems that the floating one is quite impossible too... Maybe they should copy oil companies and look how they build their plants to the sea. Those things don't float away even in hard weather conditions.