(Newser)
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This spring will see the debut of a curious new green tech innovation: the floating data center. As an alternative to typical off-site computer backups, a startup plans to build its server networks inside shipping containers stored on cargo ships. International Data Security will open the first at San Francisco’s Pier 50 in April, ComputerWorld reports.
The ship-borne centers are environmentally friendly: seawater will be used to cool components, and waste heat from those components will be recycled to heat the ship itself. The ships themselves are designed to be connected to port-based power supplies, but onboard bio-diesel engines will allow for one month of autonomous operation. IDS says they are initially marketing the centers to the disaster recovery industry.
