En\gineers at IBM's Zurich labs say they have come up with a system which uses hot water to cool the data center which can then be used to heat nearby houses.
The team said they calculated that a 10 Mega Watt data center could produce enough energy to heat 700 houses. The system is based on using water pumped into the data center at around 35 degrees fahrenheit, which in the cooling process is warmed to 60 degrees, warm enough for domestic heating. The prototype water cooling system could be on the market in around five years. would also save up electricity in the data center.
Spectrum reported that Bruno Michel, manager of the advanced thermal packaging group at IBM's Zurich laboratory the engineers have built a data center that reuses 85 percent of the heat it generates while consuming about half the electricity, says. "The striking thing that we're doing is cooling the computer with hot water," says Michel. The water is pumped into the data center at around 35 ┬░C, he says, and when it leaves the data center, it is 60 ┬░C. "In climates like Zurich or New York, it's a value, especially in the winter," he adds.