

The 100 Degree Data Center - 1SockChuck
http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2009/03/19/rackable-cloudrack-turns-up-the-heat/

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streety
When first reading the title my first thought was, "Wow. A data center so hot
that water will boil." I felt cheated when I realised it was _only_ 100
degrees Fahrenheit and not 100 degrees Celsius.

Having said that it still raises some interesting implications. As data
centers get hotter how will humans work in them? Will there be redundant
cooling capacity which is only used when people are working in the data
center? Will people be limited to 20 minute shifts? Will special suits with
cooling be used?

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iigs
Fortunately there are a lot of electronic components that can't take the kind
of heat you allude to (100C), and it would cost a lot to engineer components
that could. 100F is a hot day in the southern US, and nothing compared to some
of the warmer climates of the world. Compared to digging ditches or doing
brick work, standing next to a rack loading code onto a router is small
potatoes.

I'll just be happy to work in a room where I can expect to be in short sleeve
shirts instead of having my fingers get numb when near a cold air vent.

If heat were ever to become that much of a problem I'd expect that we'd start
seeing more solutions like HP's thermal management rack, where the racks are
closed to the environment, take in cold water, and circulate hot water out.

------
theklub
Is there a way data centers could use all the heat generated to create more
energy?

~~~
lutorm
It's very hard to use such low-temp heat for anything useful... except
possibly heating the rest of the building and (pre-heating) hot water.

