Reviews - Facebook to build Arctic Server-Farm

[HEXUS]

No, not a new expansion to FarmVille!

Read more.

[cptwhite_uk]

I assume the heading on the front page should say "News", unless you're reviewing the facility

[shaithis]

Wonder if they will harness the heat generated by the equipment to supplement the electricity that the servers are using as well?

[aidanjt]

Wonder if they will harness the heat generated by the equipment to supplement the electricity that the servers are using as well?

I was thinking the same thing, but it's tricky concentrating heat energy over such a wide area without compromising system cooling. I'm sure a team of physicists could come up with a solution, though.

[Platinum]

This will help global warming lol

[errata]

Good to use hydro power if its avilable

any guesses as to the local environmental impact putting a huge heatsource in an arctic environment (permafrost in this area?)?

[aidanjt]

any guesses as to the local environmental impact putting a huge heatsource in an arctic environment (permafrost in this area?)?

Shouldn't cause any problems. The heat will be rapidly pushed upwards by the cold air.

[watercooled]

Wonder if they will harness the heat generated by the equipment to supplement the electricity that the servers are using as well?

Well it wouldn't be hot enough to power a steam turbine, so maybe a Peltier device? The cold environment so good temperature difference would help, but I doubt you'd generate enough for it to be worthwhile. They could use the heat to warm offices or something though...

Good to use hydro power if its avilable

any guesses as to the local environmental impact putting a huge heatsource in an arctic environment (permafrost in this area?)?

It's not really a huge heat source on an environmental scale.

[Scribe]

I assume the heading on the front page should say "News", unless you're reviewing the facility

Sorry about that! It's an artefact from transitioning to a new back-end, it's most certainly News!

[miniyazz]

Well it wouldn't be hot enough to power a steam turbine, so maybe a Peltier device? The cold environment so good temperature difference would help, but I doubt you'd generate enough for it to be worthwhile. They could use the heat to warm offices or something though...

Peltier devices work the other way round

[andrewuk]

It's not really a huge heat source on an environmental scale.

Well, unless they use Bulldozers that is

[watercooled]

Peltier devices work the other way round

They can work both ways actually.

And BD is well-suited to server/HPC applications such as this.

[FatalSaviour]

Peltier devices work the other way round

The whole temperature differential concept of Peltier devices mean that one side will warm, whilst the other cools. Depends which way you turn it round!

[watercooled]

I think what he means is that they only consume electricity, I'm saying they can produce it too - if you cool one side and heat the other, you get a voltage across the device. With a hot server farm in the Arctic, you have quite a temperature difference to work with so the potential is there, but these things aren't cheap!

[DjSatansfury]

Well at least if WW3 begins, we'll still have Facebook!

Harnessing hydro power is amazing though. Its like a big server-farm..er..mill.

[aidanjt]

...but these things aren't cheap!

Indeed, but then neither is generating 120MW.