When the University of Illinois’ National Center for Supercomputing Applications set out to build a machine with more than 200,000 server cores, the key wasn’t simply shelling out cash for newer, faster silicon chips. The trick was harnessing the power of a substance that comes right out of your kitchen sink: water. Using water to cool servers isn’t a new idea, but it is gaining new converts at a time when fears of global warming and rising energy costs are making datacenter operators and server vendors search for ways to increase efficiency.
Water-cooled Servers Gaining Steam
May 9, 2008