Microsoft has announced that it is planning to release details on a new technology that integrates the data centre with the power plant. Instead of distributing electricity, these plants distribute data, which becomes another form of energy. Microsoft has invested millions of dollars into research in this area, and has filed for a patent for a Data Plant.

Christian Belady and Vijay Gill, of Microsoft Global Foundation Services stated in a blog post that, “With these data plants we distribute data (an energy form) in a network (an optical grid) providing the next generation of energy distribution. Looking at it this way, Microsoft is essentially taking another step in the evolution of refining the energy being distributed. Efficiency gains can be realized to their full potential only at the scale of the Cloud. When Microsoft talk about the disappearing data centre, what we really mean is that it will disappear as we know it through integration and drive unprecedented levels of efficiency gain.”

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