Microsoft's Underwater Data Center Project Shelved: Exploration and Application

Microsoft's Underwater Data Center Project Shelved: Exploration and ApplicationOn June 26, 2023, Microsoft announced that its underwater data center experimental project, known as Project Natick, had been quietly shelved. However, the company stated that research findings from the project would be applied to other initiatives

Microsoft's Underwater Data Center Project Shelved: Exploration and Application

On June 26, 2023, Microsoft announced that its underwater data center experimental project, known as Project Natick, had been quietly shelved. However, the company stated that research findings from the project would be applied to other initiatives.

Natick began in 2018 with a two-year test in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland, aiming to validate the feasibility of underwater data centers. This experiment involved placing large tubes at a depth of approximately 36 meters below the surface of the Scottish sea, while testing various factors, such as using nitrogen gas instead of oxygen to fill the data center. Oxygen is crucial for humans but can potentially damage computers. Separating the data center from human presence also prevents accidental equipment tampering.

Natick yielded some remarkable results, including a failure rate for underwater data centers that was only one-eighth that of land-based counterparts. However, as of 2024, Microsoft hasn't continued operating any underwater data centers. Microsoft has not disclosed detailed reasons for the discontinuation of these data centers.

Noelle Walsh, Vice President of Cloud Operations and Innovation at Microsoft, stated, "I'm not building a data center under the ocean anywhere in the world." She added, "My team did this work, and it was successful. We gained a deep understanding of the operating environment below sea level, the vibrations, and their effects on servers. So we will be taking those learnings and applying them in other scenarios."

Given that Natick was essentially an exploratory experiment, Microsoft plans to continue using it as a research platform. In a statement, Microsoft explained the project's future direction: "While we don't currently have data centers in the water, we will continue to use the Natick project as a research platform to explore, test, and validate new concepts around data center reliability and sustainability, like liquid immersion."

Microsoft is likely to leverage its discoveries from the Natick project to enhance data centers in other environments. Insights gained from Natick and other experiments will become increasingly vital as the demand for data centers continues to grow.

The Expanding Demand for Data Centers

Globally, the demand for data centers is immense, and it will only escalate over time. In 2024, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is ubiquitous. From smartphones to computers, AI capabilities are becoming increasingly prevalent. While some devices, like Copilot+ PC, can execute AI tasks locally, a significant portion of AI data processing still occurs in the cloud, fueling the growing need for data centers.

Of course, AI is far from the sole driver of increasing data center demand. Cloud computing, the use of smart home devices, even internet searches all rely on data centers. With billions of devices connecting to the internet, demand for data centers is virtually limitless and will continue to surge.

Data Center Sustainability

The operation and maintenance of data centers require a large amount of energy. Reducing this energy consumption not only contributes to improving power systems but also enables better support for other services and devices. The Natick project demonstrated that underwater data centers could offer a more energy-efficient option, as water can act as a natural coolant.

Even though the Natick project has been shelved, the achievements Microsoft made during the project will continue to influence future data center design and operation. As the demand for data centers surges, finding more sustainable and energy-efficient ways to build and operate them becomes increasingly critical.

Conclusion

Project Natick represented a bold exploration of the future of data centers by Microsoft. Although the project was ultimately shelved, it provided valuable lessons that will continue to drive innovation in the data center space. As the demand for data centers continues to rise, we need to find more sustainable and energy-efficient ways to meet this demand. Natick and other similar projects will guide us toward building a better future.