Microsoft Research has started a programme called Cloud
Computing Futures, which aims to improve the efficiency of
cloud computing.
CCF has built prototype servers, based on Intel's low-powered
Netbook processor, to run cloud computing services like Hotmail. If
the research project is successful, it could help deliver
lower-powered datacentres.
It could also boost the profits of hardware suppliers like
Intel,
which has seen its profits slashed due to the popularity of
low-cost Atom-based Netbooks.
Dan Reed, director of scalable and multicore systems at
Microsoft Research, said the goal of the Cloud Computing Futures
project was to identify, create, and evaluate potentially
disruptive innovations that could enable new software and
application capabilities while also reducing the cost of building
and operating cloud services.
"Our goal is to reduce datacentre costs by fourfold or greater
while accelerating deployment and increasing adaptability and
resilience to failures, transferring ideas into products and
practice. To date, we have focused our attention on four areas,
though our agenda spans next-generation storage devices and
memories, new processors and processor architectures, system
packaging, and software tools," he said.
Reed said Microsoft was looking at how to build cloud computing
IT using the type of technology found in laptops, which are far
more energy-efficient, as measured in operations per joule, than
servers used to power datacentre computing.
He said, "Laptops can complete a unit of work with far less
electricity and less cooling. CCF has built two server clusters
using low-power, Intel Atom chips and is conducting a series of
experiments to see how well they support cloud services and how
much their use can reduce the power consumed by those
services."
Reed said CCF has worked with the Hotmail team to evaluate using
low-power servers for the Hotmail service. "These experiments have
shown that overall power consumption can be reduced compared with
standard servers while still delivering the same quality of
service."