IBM Pushing Water-Cooled Servers, Meeting Resistance

judgecorp writes "IBM has said that water-cooled servers could become the norm in ten years. The company has lately been promoting wider user of the forty-year-old mainframe technology (e.g., here's a piece from April 2008), which allows faster clock speeds and higher processing power. But IBM now says water cooling is greener and more efficient, because it delivers waste heat in a form that's easier to re-use. They estimate that water can be up to 4,000 times more effective in cooling computer systems than air. However, most new data center designs tend to take the opposite approach, running warmer, and using free-air cooling to expend less energy in the first place. For instance, Dutch engineer Imtech sees no need for water cooling in its new multi-story approach which reduces piping and saves waste."

What a waste of water!

[failedlogic]

The community in which a server farms is found surely has a need for what will be thousands of gallons a day. To the benefit of all, I'd suggest diverting a small amount of the heated water (hopefully near boiling) to another piping system in the building .... which would be routed to a building-wide coffee or espresso maker. Great for the employees and with an outside tap, the community can get free coffee to boot. If anyone from Greenpeace shows up to protest about the water wastage, avoid telling them about the coffee maker - it'll keep them up longer to protest.

Re:What a waste of water!

[Tablizer]

would be routed to a building-wide coffee...the community can get free coffee to boot.

Is that a pun?
   

When I come to office today

[jigyasubalak]

I attach the power cable and the network cord to my laptop.
So, will I, now, need to connect a water pipe carrying cold water too?
I wouldn't mind it if I can get my drink of water from it too :)

Resistance

[spectrokid]

If they meet resistance, can't they just add some salt to the water?

Great working conditions...

[yogibaer]

From the article: "We can use that to heat offices, or water for a swimming pool". Job Ad: "Wanted: Sysadmin, we offer: all year heated office (20+ C), swimming pool, Jacuzzi (body temperature) integrated coffe mug wamer in tabletop and always a nice, warm breeze from our datacenter." IBM could even use the swimming pool as a cooling tank (or is it the other way round?).

Re:4000 times?

[theheadlessrabbit]

Where do people always get these kinds of numbers.

this is a situation where a link to goatse would actually answer your question.

Re:What a waste of water!

[Hognoxious]

Self contained would imply no radiation / conduction / convection of the waste heat generated by the CPU.

I agree. Any alternative interpretation - such as that it recirculates the water - is clearly preposterous.

Re:Resistance

[Antique Geekmeister]

That's because salt isn't the solution, it's the precipitate.

_Ouch_. Please stop hitting me.