Microsoft is offering a rare peek behind the "cloud" with virtual tours of its Azure public data centers. These massive structures dot the globe and provide the necessary physical infrastructure of the modern web, but few outsiders have gotten a behind-the-scenes look.
"I think the public really doesn't have a great understanding of really what the cloud truly is," Brian Janous, general manager of energy and sustainability at Microsoft, told Cheddar.
Using a personal computer or mobile device, users can walk the halls of a typical Microsoft data center and learn about everything from security protocols to cooling systems.
The latter is an especially important aspect of running a data center. Temperature control is at the center of Microsoft's efforts to cut down on energy use at its data centers, which make up the majority of the tech company's carbon footprint.
The company currently uses various methods of cooling to keep temperatures between 70 and 80 degrees inside its data centers.
"One of the biggest challenges that we have in building data centers and operating data centers is keeping them cool," Janus said. "Every year servers are getting more dense, and therefore they're putting out more heat."
The company aims to become "carbon negative" by 2030, but just keeping up with demand has required a massive expansion of data centers, even as they become more energy efficient.
"When you look at the efficiency that we can deliver today relative to 10 years ago, it's just astounding," Janous said. "Internet traffic is up about 12x over the last 10 years, but energy consumed by all data centers globally is roughly flat over that time."
He noted that Microsoft has made improvements such as bringing in more outside air to help cool down servers — though more radical measures are in the works, such as a plan to place data centers on the seafloor to utilize ocean water for even more efficient cooling.
In addition, Microsoft on Tuesday said it plans to share previously secret energy-use information with select customers under nondisclosure agreements to help them become more efficient.
Essentially, as Microsoft improves sustainability at its data centers, it will in some cases reveal those gains to companies looking to bring down their own carbon footprints.
"It's really all about just being more transparent in terms of how we operate our infrastructure," Janous said.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
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