Computers are growing at such a fast pace that they are starting to get scary. When a simple request to one can determine my system configuration of my PC that is a thousand miles away, then it starts to get all the more scary. It is interesting that they are starting to compete with and beat humans in the game of Chess and are also forming a part of strategy making decisions. Super-computers are really the ones that are dictating and altering conditions of research across the planet.
The new Power 575 supercomputer, equipped with IBM’s latest Power6 microprocessor, uses water-chilled copper plates located above each microprocessor to remove heat from the electronics. Requiring 80 percent fewer air conditioning units, the water-cooled Power 575 can reduce typical energy consumption used to cool the data center by 40 percent. IBM scientists estimate that water can be up to 4,000-times more effective in cooling computer systems than air. This means all the new computers of this mould are both eco-friendly and friendly towards the planet.
Looking to the future, IBM scientists at the company’s Zurich Research Laboratory recently presented a pioneering concept of a “zero-emission” data center at CeBIT 2008. A new kind of water-cooling system embedded on a chip is the basis for this exciting innovation that captures the water at its hottest and pipes it off the chip for reuse in heating a building or for hot water. This also ensures that the giant boxes do not leave a carbon footprint in the process. The effort by IBM to integrate top level research technology with green features is truly commendable and well worth taking a look at. All this of course, is apart from the sheer superior performance offered by this machine.
