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Postcards from Tomorrow's Data Centers

Kevin Fogarty April 16, 2013 08:00 AM Today's data centers are essentially the same: long rows of metal racks stocked with machines, miles of cable, and elaborate cooling systems. But just because we build data centers this way in 2013 doesn't mean that's how it will be in ten, twenty or fifty years. Here's a few glimpses of what the future might hold, from printable electronics to nanotube processors to nuclear batteries.

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Data Center Cyborgs

Photo: Computer Chip With Human-like Neurons

Image Source: Facets-project.org

Running a data center with keyboards and management apps is so last-decade. The hot interface of 2023 could be a direct connection to the brains of operators using a series of chips that push protons through their channels rather than electrons, and can trade information with biological systems to manage data centers by thought. Hello, my name is Locutus of Borg.

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