There are many new technologies that are “cool.” However, we can now say that they are able to heat things up - literally. A paper, presented at Usenix Workshop on Hot Topics in Cloud Computing by two researchers at the University of Virginia and four at Microsoft Research, explores the possibilities of using data centers as a source of heating for homes and buildings. The authors call it a “data furnace.”

 

 

No doubt that cloud computing is the hot IT Technology at the moment. The possibilities of storing information in an external data centre and being able to open applications and software without having to install them on your PC, tablet, or smartphone is what the cloud offers.  In fact, there are many people who already use cloud computing without realizing it. Microsoft Canada did a survey of 705 companies and found out that 19% of those who said they were not using cloud services in fact were.  The companies were unaware that they were actually applying these technologies solutions which have become so ubiquitous in our everyday lives.  Users of Gmail for example may not know that they are operating that service in the cloud.

But all this magical computing power has its costs. Many servers concentrated together produces a lot of heat. In order to cool it, up to half of the power used to run them is needed-a big price for the pockets and for environment. That’s when scientists came up with a clever solution of the “data furnace.” The major attraction about a data furnace is the benefit it offers for both sides. The companies who run data centers would have economic home-based servers (while still controlling it) and the owner of the building could have a free heating system, all while reducing the carbon footprint.

The Cloud Heat: how does it work?

This new technology works by installing the “data furnace” where the furnace usually sits, in cabinets filled with several motherboards.  These are then connected with the existing circulation fan and ductwork. All the home needs is a broadband internet connection. In a cold climate, around 110 motherboards could keep a home warm just like a traditional furnace would. When is not cold, the servers will not stop working, but rather the heat they generate would be vented to outside.

“We heard from several people who are already heating their homes with computer systems, which shows that it works. Our contribution is to show that the data furnace also has lower cost and lower energy than a conventional data center,” said Kamin Whitehouse to The New York Times. He’s an assistant professor of computer science at the University of Virginia and a co-author of the research paper.

As for the safety of the data, the traffic has to be encrypted and also sensors that warn if the cabinet was opened are needed. And it’s good to remember that cloud computing technology keeps in mind that any machine can break, so if a server fails, its tasks are automatically reassigned to another.

With New York Times information 

(Image credit: Treehugger)