Microsoft proposes to heat servers at home

The research division of Microsoft Research has published a document that proposes a new approach to the design and creation of data centers, and, as follows from the document, both parties - the owners of the servers and the building owners - will really benefit.

So, it is proposed to create a new Data Furnace concept ( data furnace ), which consists in the fact that "... physically the server is a metal box that converts electricity to heat. The air temperature (exhaust air) in the server is about 40-50 ° C, which too little to convert this heat back into electricity, but this is enough for the purpose of heating a house, dryers, water heaters and greenhouses (agriculture). " Thus, if, taking into account the need for physical security and easy access, to locate small data centers in office buildings and / or apartments (apartment), then the heat generated by them can serve as a significant contribution to space heating in winter. Moreover, the researchers argue that the servers can be configured so that the main load falls on them at a specified time, for example, at night, and in the summer heat, on the contrary, the intensity of their use would be reduced to a minimum.

In general, the proposal itself looks quite developed, despite the small size of the document - 5 pages. The researchers conducted an economic analysis of their project, an analysis of its impact on the environment (in particular, electromagnetic radiation) and problems with the safety of equipment. In particular, it is argued that the economic benefit from a single “home” server will be from $ 280 to $ 320, taking into account the need for increased requirements for energy supply to buildings and their maintenance.

Read the PDF document (5 pages) here .