Where Can I Host An HPC Center ? (Part I)

Hosting such an infrastructure requires lots of space and "think big". Not only the machine but all the infrastructure should be built upon "Lego pieces" that can really scale - and now more than ever help to build something green. Pharaonic designs result into insane bills.

The Safest Hosting Facility Already Built

Today we have known that hosting provider 1and1 is going to build its next datacenter in Hanau Germany, using the space left behind by an old Nuclear Power Plant that was never used before.

In the basque region we got the old Nuclear Power Plant of Lemóniz, a completely built Nuclear Power Plant: it has never been used before so there is no nuclear rubbish inside it. According to the information available on the Wikipedia (spanish version) the building is empty as the machines inside were sold as they were never used.

The safest ready to use hosting facility is in our hand.

What about the power? Can it be green?

Two approaches could be used; in both cases the Basque has enough industrial power to cope with a good solution.

First: This time from Google - the use of shipping containers seems to be power-efficient:


...cooling goes directly through the container -between other ideas proposed by Google like fan controlling-:



...rather than hand-made workarounds that many datacenters have manually implemented:

Second: Lemoniz is by the sea:



... And Tecnalia and Iberdrola two Basque companies have already started a project to develop a wave energy project. Here is a picture of the prototype already installed in Pasajes:

We could not have something better, already built, safer, close to the sea and what is more making use of green energy produced by means of our own developed technology. Other minds already provided solutions so let´s mix & use them.

Update 7th January 2009
The local government has launched BIMEP (Biscay Marine Energy Platform) last 20th of November. The infrastructure is close to Lemoniz as well. Further information in English.

An article published by El Mundo says that the Power Plant belongs to Iberdrola, who does not want much publicity around Lemoniz since it has a high political meaning. Further surfing reveals that Iberdrola has worked and works on HPC-Energy projects.