The news that Google (GOOG) has received a
patent on a modular data center [1] in a shipping container raised an immediate question: what might this mean for Sun Microsystems’ Project Blackbox? The
Blackbox [2], an energy-efficient data center housed in a 20-foot shipping container, was announced in Oct. 2005 and
installed its first unit [3] at Stanford in July. Executives of Sun have said the Blackbox resulted from a 2005 conversation between two of its technologists. Google applied for the patent in 2003.
Sun (JAVA) isn’t saying much just yet. “We are aware of a modular data center patent being issued to Google,” a Sun spokeswoman told The Register. “Our legal team is reviewing the patent, as this is a broad concept. Until that review is complete, we don’t have further comment.”
The Register speculated that Google may be an unlikely candidate to wield its patents to try and crush competitors, given its recent
calls for patent reform [4], “As the company complains about the injustice of the patent system, it’s hard to imagine it going on the offensive with its new patent. Of course, stranger things have happened.”
Rich Miller is the founder and editor-in-chief of Data Center Knowledge, and has been reporting on the data center sector since 2000. He has tracked the growing impact of high-density computing on the power and cooling of data centers, and the resulting push for improved energy efficiency in these facilities.
Article printed from Data Center Knowledge: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com
URL to article: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2007/10/10/sun-reviewing-google-blackbox-patent/
URLs in this post:
[1] patent on a modular data center: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2007/Oct/09/google_patents_portable_data_centers.html
[2] Blackbox: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2006/Oct/17/sun_unveils_data_center_in_a_box.html
[3] installed its first unit: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/2007/Jun/23/stanford_center_is_first_blackbox_recipient.html
[4] calls for patent reform: http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2007/09/reforming-patents-promoting-innovation.html
[5] Rich Miller: http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/archives/author/richm/
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