Cloud computing gets hotter

data centres, writes Upi.com.

A research paper published by Microsoft in conjunction with Virginia University researchers examined the feasibility of selling 'Data Furnaces' to consumers, who would benefit by having their winter heating bills reduced down to almost zero.

Because servers generate so much heat, the paper envisioned having server 'furnaces' in the basements of homes all over the country, clustered around cites where most demand for those servers exists.

The paper starts out pointing out the similarities between today's common furnace and water heater to a modern day data server, according to Digital Trends.

All three devices are large metal boxes that give off a lot of heat, and Microsoft argues that we can use that heat to warm up our buildings.

Daily Tech states that according to the Microsoft Research paper, there are plenty of benefits associated with this new technique. The most obvious benefit is the conservation of electricity, as waste heat warms an entire home/building and alleviates a data centre's need for excessive air conditioning to keep systems cool.

Also, this setup would offer lower network latency because computation and storage systems can be placed closer to highly populated areas that will use them.

In addition, this system would cut the cost per server. In a traditional data centre, the cost per server is $400 annually. But with the new system, the estimated cost per Data Furnace will range between $280 and $324.