Google dreams of floating data centers, powered by tidal energy

According to the patent titled "Water-based data centers", Google envisions a floating sea platform with stacked containers that house servers. The unit could be deployed in rough geographic regions or in areas where a land-based data center would be too expensive.

"A system includes a floating platform-mounted computer data center comprising a plurality of computing units, a sea-based electrical generator in electrical connection with the plurality of computing units, and one or more sea-water cooling units for providing cooling to the plurality of computing units," the filing states.

The company describes the sea-based unit to integrate a power generator that produces electricity using the energy from tides that splash against the side of the floating barges. "In general, computing centers are located on a ship or ships, which are then anchored in a water body from which energy from natural motion of the water may be captured, and turned into electricity and/or pumping power for cooling pumps to carry heat away from computers in the data center.”

According to Google, such computing modules could be particularly useful for military purposes, huge events or in the cases of natural disasters.