Md Jahedul Islam

Every data center is a huge factory of information and data. It contains all kinds of personal data including government and state important data. So to keep this data safe there is offline security as well as online security. In order to protect all these data especially from hacker groups or intelligence agencies, strict security measures have to be maintained. A data center is not just a server and internet connection. There are several conditions to be a data center which are very important to fulfill. The data center should be in a place where there is no possibility of any natural disaster or man-made disaster. Even if something like that happens it is that less than 5%. Then the cooling system should be of the highest quality. Because the heat generated by the servers running twenty-four hours a day and night (24/7) must always be kept at a tolerable temperature. Otherwise the entire structure will be destroyed and the data center will become useless.

Uninterrupted power connection is essential for running servers and other operational components. The whole infrastructure depends on this power management. Therefore to keep the servers running 24 hours a day (24/7) along with the main power system, a backup power system must be provided. But the rate at which the amount of data is growing is also becoming more difficult to maintain. In the era of digitalization, the most important element is data. Communication, workplace, study, leisure and any daily activities depend on this information. For this reason Microsoft took a novel decision in 2018 to simplify data maintenance and processes. This move by Microsoft was exceptional. The success of their exceptional move has added a dimension of immense potential to the data center paradigm. Their decision has the potential to change data storage systems today and tomorrow. Microsoft's Project NATIC is the world's first underwater data center. Data centers with higher capacity will be required to maintain the free flow of information technology in the coming days.

That is why the big technology companies of the world have started to prepare the necessary advanced technology from now. Thousands of computer servers reside in data centers. These servers are constantly running. Data centers require good maintenance to control the large amount of heat they generate. Temperature control of these servers is very important. Overheated servers are prone to damage. In that case it is much easier to control the temperature of the data center under the sea. It is possible to supply power to these data centers through turbines or hydroelectricity. Temperature control of subsea data centers is very convenient.

As a result a separate air conditioning system is not required. The electricity consumption is greatly reduced. Also oxygen in the air dust particles etc. are also harmful for the server. So if the servers can be placed in water in a closed environment then the responsibility of cooling can be left to the water. It's a lot like nuclear submarines using the ocean as a heat sink. Lately various organizations have started using all kinds of strange places for their data centers. Setting up an underwater data center not only keeps the contents of the center cool but also has other benefits.

By using this natural cooling system it will be possible to reduce the money spent on the cooling system of various data institutions. Meanwhile almost half of the world's population lives within 120 miles of the coast. Therefore it will be possible to provide services to a large number of people through these sub-sea data centers near these coasts. Also the capacity of these data centers can also be increased as required. If the data centers can be located at sea then the data travel time will come down a lot. As a result gaming and browsing can be done better in these places. Besides these data centers of Microsoft are able to run for up to 5 years without full-check.

Nitrogen is used instead of oxygen inside the data center which will help the electronic equipment to last longer. On the other hand it takes less time to set up a data center under the sea. While it takes two years to build a data center on the surface it is possible to build a data center under the sea in just 90 days. The lifespan of which will be more than 20 years. Data centers are filled with delicate and highly sophisticated components that deal with temperature changes. Undersea data centers are safer and more stable. Also the failure rate of data centers on water is one-eighth that on land. The most amazing thing is that these data centers are renewable.

The data center's containers and internal equipment are all made from recycled materials. These undersea data centers are also environmentally friendly. This project of Microsoft is not only benefiting technology but also benefiting the world. These data centers do not create any greenhouse effect which is a great sign of hope for the future climate. Marine animals will also be able to create their own habitat around the data center. Compared to land-based data centers underwater data centers are undoubtedly ideal from technical, economic and environmental points of view and their number will surely increase in the future. But land-based data centers aren't going away any time soon. Although nearly fifty (50%) percent of the world's population lives within 120 miles of the coast land-based data centers are needed to ensure seamless service to the remaining fifty (50%) percent.

The writer is a Network Technician (ICT Cell) Jagannath University, Dhaka.