Justin Joseph
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Mauritius builds global data bank, with Indian Navy help
Posted: Friday , Mar 19, 2010 at 0312 hrs New Delhi:
The island nation of Mauritius wants to become a global database hub, and helping it realise that ambition is the Indian Navy.
It is pitching in to operationalise a new green technology that will keep the thousands of servers being planned on the island, to host data from business houses across the world, from getting too hot.
Keeping the servers cool was one of the biggest problems standing between Mauritius and its hopes of becoming a data centre hub. It found a unique solution in a technology that brings up cool water from depths of more than 1 mile under the ocean which could be used to run the air conditioner system for the data centres. At such depths, the water temperature is as low as 1-2 degrees Celsius.
The Indian Navy has now deputed one of its best hydrographic vessels to the island nation to help map out the sea bed, along which the system will be laid. The INS Nirdeshak, which in the past has carried out surveys of major ports in Mauritius, left for the task on Wednesday. The work will be done as a goodwill gesture by the Indian government under a cooperation agreement between the countries.
During a six-month deployment to the island nation, the Nirdeshak will survey the entire seabed and chalk out a route for the ‘Sea Water Air Conditioning’ (SWAC)’ system using its multi-beam sonars. While it has done shorter stints around the island republic in the past — it recently completed a survey of the country’s main Grand port — this is by far the most extensive deployment of the hydrographic vessel in Mauritius.
The Navy has been helping Mauritius draw up hydrographic charts for five years. Besides helping it map its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the charts would ease setting up of infrastructure and shipping routes.
While similar help has been given to Maldives and Bangladesh, this is the first time the Navy is helping someone set up a sea water air conditioning system. An officer familiar with the project said that the cool sea water that would be pumped up would also be extremely low on salinity, given the depths from which it would be drawn.
“Mauritius plans to first use the cold water to run the air conditioning plants. After that, due to the low salinity, it will be distilled and used as drinking water,” the officer said.
The Nirdeshak also has another interesting association with the region. Last year, the hydrographic vessel which was carrying out routine survey work was deployed to Seychelles on an emergency basis after the nation sent a piracy SOS to India. The vessel helped keep the waters safe till a fully armed warship was sent over and helped catch nine pirates.
Mauritius builds global data bank, with Indian Navy help
Posted: Friday , Mar 19, 2010 at 0312 hrs New Delhi:
The island nation of Mauritius wants to become a global database hub, and helping it realise that ambition is the Indian Navy.
It is pitching in to operationalise a new green technology that will keep the thousands of servers being planned on the island, to host data from business houses across the world, from getting too hot.
Keeping the servers cool was one of the biggest problems standing between Mauritius and its hopes of becoming a data centre hub. It found a unique solution in a technology that brings up cool water from depths of more than 1 mile under the ocean which could be used to run the air conditioner system for the data centres. At such depths, the water temperature is as low as 1-2 degrees Celsius.
The Indian Navy has now deputed one of its best hydrographic vessels to the island nation to help map out the sea bed, along which the system will be laid. The INS Nirdeshak, which in the past has carried out surveys of major ports in Mauritius, left for the task on Wednesday. The work will be done as a goodwill gesture by the Indian government under a cooperation agreement between the countries.
During a six-month deployment to the island nation, the Nirdeshak will survey the entire seabed and chalk out a route for the ‘Sea Water Air Conditioning’ (SWAC)’ system using its multi-beam sonars. While it has done shorter stints around the island republic in the past — it recently completed a survey of the country’s main Grand port — this is by far the most extensive deployment of the hydrographic vessel in Mauritius.
The Navy has been helping Mauritius draw up hydrographic charts for five years. Besides helping it map its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the charts would ease setting up of infrastructure and shipping routes.
While similar help has been given to Maldives and Bangladesh, this is the first time the Navy is helping someone set up a sea water air conditioning system. An officer familiar with the project said that the cool sea water that would be pumped up would also be extremely low on salinity, given the depths from which it would be drawn.
“Mauritius plans to first use the cold water to run the air conditioning plants. After that, due to the low salinity, it will be distilled and used as drinking water,” the officer said.
The Nirdeshak also has another interesting association with the region. Last year, the hydrographic vessel which was carrying out routine survey work was deployed to Seychelles on an emergency basis after the nation sent a piracy SOS to India. The vessel helped keep the waters safe till a fully armed warship was sent over and helped catch nine pirates.
Mauritius builds global data bank, with Indian Navy help
