Finding a physical space to store our voluminous cloud-based data is a problem, sure, but keeping the servers cooled down is another, much bigger problem--and an environmentally unfriendly one at that. Instead of installing expensive cooling systems, future networked data centers could use the waste heat of computing to keep people warm.
A new paper from Microsoft Research proposes using servers as “data furnaces,” installed in homes or businesses and connected to the air ducts. As a rectangular metal cabinet, it would look like any other furnace, attached to the ductwork and hot water pipes. Homeowners wouldn’t even notice the difference — except, of course, for the huge power draw that a server requires.
