Modular data center
Nickname - "The Google datacenter patent"
Modular data centers with modular components suitable for use with rack or shelf mount computing systems, for example, are disclosed. The modular center generally includes a modular computing module including an intermodal shipping container and computing systems mounted within the container and configured to be shipped and operated within the container and a temperature control system for maintaining the air temperature surrounding the computing systems. The intermodal shipping container may be configured in accordance to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) container manufacturing standards or otherwise configured with respect to height, length, width, weight, and/or lifting points of the container for transport via an intermodal transport infrastructure. The modular design enables the modules to be cost effectively built at a factory and easily transported to and deployed at a data center site.
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1. A data center, comprising: at least one modular computing module, each including: a shipping container configured for transport via a transport infrastructure; and a plurality of computing systems mounted within the shipping container and configured to be shipped and operated within the shipping container; and a cooling module of a temperature control system, the cooling module including another of said shipping container, the cooling module being separate from the computing systems of the at least one modular computing module.
2. The data center of claim 1, further comprising the temperature control system for maintaining a predetermined air temperature surrounding the computing systems.
3. The data center of claim 1, in which the computing systems are arranged to define an access way within the corresponding shipping container to provide human access to the computing systems.
4. The data center of claim 1, in which the computing systems are mounted within mounting structures, each mounting structure being one of a rack mounting structure and a shelf mounting structure.
5. The data center of claim 1, wherein the computing systems are mounted within mounting structures that are an integral structural component of the shipping container.
6. The data center of claim 1, in which the modular computing module further includes a plurality of computing system enclosures for enclosing and mounting the computing systems within the enclosures, the computing system enclosures being mounted within the shipping container, the data center further comprising a temperature control subsystem for each enclosure to provide independent temperature control within the enclosure.
7. The data center of claim 6, in which the temperature control subsystem of each enclosure includes a blower and an evaporator coil and in which the blower includes a blower motor and blower blades mounted external and internal to the shipping container, respectively.
8. The data center of claim 6, in which each computing system enclosure defines a first delivery plenum and a second return plenum in thermal communication with the corresponding temperature control subsystem, the first and second plenums being in thermal communication with the computing system contained within the corresponding enclosure.
9. The data center of claim 8, in which each computing system enclosure includes a gas-side economizer in thermal communication with the corresponding temperature control subsystem.
10. The data center of claim 6, in which each enclosure includes a door for access to the computing systems contained in the enclosure.
11. The data center of claim 1, in which the shipping container has a height selected from approximately 8 feet 6 inches and 9 feet 6 inches and a width of approximately 8 feet.
12. The data center of claim 1, wherein the transport infrastructure is an intermodal transport infrastructure and wherein each shipping container is configured for transport via the intermodal transport infrastructure.
13. The data center of claim 12, wherein each shipping container is configured in accordance with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) container manufacturing standards for transport via the intermodal transport infrastructure.
14. The data center of claim 1, further comprising at least one of: an interconnecting module to interconnect a plurality of the modular computing modules, the interconnecting module including another of said intermodal shipping container; a power generating module for generating power for the at least one modular computing module, the power generating module including another of said intermodal shipping container; a power and cooling module integrated with the cooling module for generating power and for providing cooling for the temperature control system, power and cooling module including another of said intermodal shipping container; and a cooling tower in communication with the modular computing module, the cooling tower comprising at least one of an evaporative cooler and a condenser portion of the temperature control system wherein the temperature control system is a direct expansion refrigeration system.
15. A method for deploying a data center, comprising: building at least one modular computing module at a first site, each including: a shipping container configured for transport via a transport infrastructure; and a plurality of computing systems mounted within the shipping container and configured to be shipped to and operated within the shipping container at a data center site; and building a cooling module of a temperature control system, the cooling module including another of said shipping container configured to be in communication with the at least one modular computing module, the cooling module being separate from the computing systems of the at least one modular computing module; transporting the at least one modular computing module and the cooling module to the data center site different from the first site via the transport infrastructure; and connecting at least one resource connection to the at least one modular computing module.
16. The method of claim 15, in which at least one resource connection is selected from the group consisting of electricity, natural gas, water, and Internet access.
17. The method of claim 15, further including: testing the computing systems of each modular computing module at the first site.
18. The method of claim 15, in which the transporting via the transport infrastructure includes transporting via at least one of air, road, rail, and vessel.
19. The method of claim 15, in which the computing systems are arranged to define an access way within the corresponding shipping container to provide human access to the computing systems.
20. The method of claim 15, in which the building includes mounting the computing systems within mounting structures, each computing system being one of rack mounted and shelf mounted within the corresponding mounting structure.
21. The method of claim 15, in which the building includes mounting the computing systems within mounting structures that are an integral structural component of the shipping container.
22. The method of claim 15, in which the building includes enclosing and mounting the plurality of computing systems within computing system enclosures, the computing system enclosures being mounted within the shipping container.
23. The method of claim 22, in which the building includes installing a temperature control subsystem for each computing system enclosure configured to independently control the temperature within the corresponding enclosure.
24. The method of claim 23, in which the temperature control subsystem of each enclosure includes a blower and in which the building includes mounting a blower motor and blower blades of the blower external and internal to the shipping container, respectively.
25. The method of claim 23, in which each computing system enclosure defines a first delivery plenum and a second return plenum in thermal communication with the corresponding temperature control subsystem, the first and second plenums being in thermal communication with the computing system contained within the corresponding enclosure.
26. The method of claim 23, in which the building includes installing a gas-side economizer for each computing system enclosure, the gas-side economizer being in thermal communication with the corresponding temperature control subsystem of the computing system enclosure.
27. The method of claim 22, in which each enclosure includes a door for access to the computing systems contained in the enclosure.
28. The method of claim 15, in which the shipping container has a height selected from approximately 8 feet 6 inches and 9 feet 6 inches and a width of approximately 8 feet.
29. The method of claim 15, further including servicing the computing systems by one of: performing on-site maintenance at the data center site; and performing off-site maintenance by transporting the at least one modular computing module to a servicing site different from the data center site via the transport infrastructure.
30. The method of claim 15, wherein the transport infrastructure is an intermodal transport infrastructure and wherein each shipping container is configured for transport via the intermodal transport infrastructure.
31. The method of claim 30, wherein each shipping container is configured in accordance with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) container manufacturing standards for transport via the intermodal transport infrastructure.
32. The method of claim 15, in which the building further includes at least one of: building an interconnecting module to interconnect a plurality of the modular computing modules, the interconnecting module including another of said intermodal shipping container; building a power generating module for generating power for the at least one modular computing module, the power generating module including another of said intermodal shipping container; building a power and cooling module integrated with the cooling module for generating power and for providing cooling for the temperature control system, power and cooling module including another of said intermodal shipping container; and building a cooling tower containing a condenser in fluid communication with the power and cooling module.
33. A data center, comprising: a modular computing module, including: a shipping container configured for transport via a transport infrastructure with respect to at least one of height, length, width, weight, and lifting points of the container; a plurality of computing systems mounted within the shipping container and configured to be shipped and operated within the shipping container; a power distribution unit configured to distribute power from a power source to the plurality of computing systems; and a network interface configured to interface between an Internet access connection and the computing systems; a temperature control system for maintaining a predetermined air temperature surrounding the computing systems; and a cooling module of the temperature control system, the cooling module including another of said shipping container, the cooling module being separate from the computing systems of the modular computing module.
34. The data center of claim 33, in which the modular computing module further includes a plurality of computing system enclosures for enclosing and mounting the computing systems within the enclosures, the computing system enclosures being mounted within the shipping container, and in which the temperature control system includes a temperature control subsystem for each enclosure to provide independent temperature control within the enclosure.
35. The data center of claim 34, in which each computing system enclosure defines a first delivery plenum and a second return plenum in thermal communication with the corresponding temperature control subsystem, the first and second plenums being in thermal communication with the computing system contained within the corresponding enclosure.
36. The data center of claim 35, in which each of the first and second plenums is tapered along its length.
37. The data center of claim 34, in which each computing system enclosure includes a gas-side economizer in thermal communication with the corresponding temperature control subsystem.
38. The data center of claim 33, in which the shipping container has a height selected from approximately 8 feet 6 inches and 9 feet 6 inches and a width of approximately 8 feet.
39. The data center of claim 33, wherein the transport infrastructure is an intermodal transport infrastructure and wherein each shipping container is configured for transport via the intermodal transport infrastructure.
40. The data center of claim 39, wherein each shipping container is configured in accordance with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) container manufacturing standards for transport via the intermodal transport infrastructure.
41. The data center of claim 33, further comprising at least one of: an interconnecting module to interconnect a plurality of the modular computing modules, the interconnecting module including another of said intermodal shipping container; a power generating module for generating power for the at least one modular computing module, the power generating module including another of said intermodal shipping container; a power and cooling module integrated with the cooling module for generating power and for providing cooling for the temperature control system, power and cooling module including another of said intermodal shipping container; and a cooling tower containing a condenser in fluid communication with the power and cooling module.
Comments from the community
7 comments have been received for United States Patent No. 7,278,273. Want to add another?
#1|Anonymous comments:
Google's '273 patent is being discussed over at Channel Register (affiliated with The Register) in response to this article.
#2|Anonymous comments:
The discussion over there centers around Sun's Project Blackbox and whether or not Google's '273 patent is valid in light of Blackbox.
Learn more about Sun's modular datacenter on its Project Blackbox page.
#3|Anonymous comments:
Not sure how the priority shakes out, but there appears to be a difference between the claims of the Google patent and Sun's Blackbox.
Read the '273 claims carefully. Each one - apparatus and method claims alike - require (in one form or another):
a cooling module of a temperature control system, the cooling module including another of said shipping container, the cooling module being separate from the computing systems of the at least one modular computing module
This appears to be totally different that the cooling setup in Sun's Blackbox system. According to the glossy brochure [.pdf]:
Blackbox is a Complete virtualized datacenter housed in a standard 20-foot shipping container...[with] Integrated, centralized, state-of-the-art cooling, networking, and power distribution - with a cooling system 20 percent more efficient than that of a traditional datacenter
Thus, it appears that Blackbox has cooling integrated in each shipping container, while the Google '273 patent is directed to a data center that has the cooling system housed in its own module - separate and distinct from the one or more computing modules that make up the data center.
#4|Defender comments:
That article is funny...it doesn't even cite the patent number...and it definitely doesn't mention the claims. The funniest part is how commenters are screaming "this patent is bad and Google is evil for getting it" without there being any reference to the claims.
#5|FizzMaster comments:
Comment #3 is particularly instructive. A very brief review of the file history reveals that the "separate" cooling module is a key to patentability.
The primary reference is Bash (6,786,056). Spinazzola (6,412,292) and Hergatt (3,777,506) were also cited by the Examiner and discussed by the applicant.
Some relevant excerpts from arguments made by the applicant during prosecution:
"...[a]s ameded, independent claim 1 generally recites that the data center includes a cooling module that is separate from the computing systems of the at least one module computing module..."
"...nowhere does [the primary reference, Bash] disclose or suggest a room separate from the racks for housing the cooling system."
"...neither [of the secondary references] disclose[s] an air cooling unit that is housed separately within a shipping container for transport via a transport infrastructure...."
It appears, as a result, that Google's datacenter patent cannot properly be construed to cover a Sun Blackbox to the extent that each Blackbox includes "integrated...cooling."
#6|Anonymous comments:
So...the bottom line is: "Sun is stuck thinking in the box while Google moves ahead by thinking out of the box."
#7|PatentLawyerX comments:
I scanned the file history, too. Comment 3 is dead on.
FYI...the patent lawyers out there might be interested in this file history because it appears to be a successful use of the Pre-Appeal Brief Conference provisions.