aka.ms
Microsoft finds underwater datacenters are reliable, practical and use energy sustainably (opens in new tab)
September 2020
A closer look at the retrieval findings and unusually low server-failure rates in the sealed subsea environment.
Project Natick
A research project to determine the feasibility of subsea datacenters powered by offshore renewable energy.
Phase 2 publications
Ars Technica
Microsoft declares its underwater data center test was a success (opens in new tab)
September 2020
The story follows the retrieval findings and unusually low server-failure rates in the sealed subsea environment.
BBC
Microsoft’s underwater data centre resurfaces after two years (opens in new tab)
September 2020
Here, the focus is Northern Isles’ recovery after more than two years of operation on the seafloor.
The Economist
Davy Jones’s Data-center (opens in new tab)
September 2020
Reporting from the field on Microsoft’s exploration of subsea datacenter design, deployment, and operation.
MSN
Underwater Data Centers Part Of Microsoft’s Future Growth (opens in new tab)
September 2020
An account of the early Project Natick experiment to operate cloud infrastructure in the ocean.
CNN
Microsoft pulled its underwater data center out of the sea in Scotland (opens in new tab)
September 2020
The article traces Northern Isles’ recovery after more than two years of operation on the seafloor.
DCD
Microsoft retrieves Project Natick data center after two years underwater (opens in new tab)
September 2020
Context for Northern Isles’ recovery after more than two years of operation on the seafloor.
Data Center Frontier
Microsoft: Servers in Our Underwater Data Center Are Super-Reliable (opens in new tab)
September 2020
A perspective on the retrieval findings and unusually low server-failure rates in the sealed subsea environment.
GeekWire
Microsoft pulls underwater data center back to the surface (opens in new tab)
September 2020
A closer look at Northern Isles’ recovery after more than two years of operation on the seafloor.
Neowin
Microsoft’s Project Natick finds that underwater datacenters are reliable and effective (opens in new tab)
September 2020
The story follows the retrieval findings and unusually low server-failure rates in the sealed subsea environment.
PCMag UK
Microsoft Retrieves Its Sea Floor Data Center After 2 Years (opens in new tab)
September 2020
Here, the focus is Northern Isles’ recovery after more than two years of operation on the seafloor.
TechCrunch
Microsoft’s Project Natick underwater data center experiment confirms viability (opens in new tab)
September 2020
Reporting from the field on the early Project Natick experiment to operate cloud infrastructure in the ocean.
TechRadar
Microsoft’s deep-sea experiment revealed server data (opens in new tab)
September 2020
An account of the early Project Natick experiment to operate cloud infrastructure in the ocean.
The Verge
Microsoft’s underwater server experiment resurfaces after two years (opens in new tab)
September 2020
The article traces Northern Isles’ recovery after more than two years of operation on the seafloor.
Wired
Turns out dumping data centres in the ocean could be a good idea (opens in new tab)
September 2020
Context for the early Project Natick experiment to operate cloud infrastructure in the ocean.
Earlier Phase 2 publications
Microsoft News
Microsoft’s undersea datacenter helps the hunt for a COVID-19 vaccine (opens in new tab)
March 2020
A perspective on the system’s redeployment to support COVID-19 and vaccine research.
Microsoft Research
Natick was used to test Microsoft Research’s first post-quantum cryptography software (opens in new tab)
February 2020
A closer look at Project Natick’s role as a post-quantum cryptography test environment.
BBC
Microsoft sinks data centre off Orkney (opens in new tab)
June 2018
The story follows the full-scale Northern Isles deployment off Orkney and the case for coastal compute.
Business Insider
Photos show how Microsoft took a big step forward (opens in new tab)
June 2018
Here, the focus is Microsoft’s exploration of subsea datacenter design, deployment, and operation.
The Verge
Microsoft sinks a data center off the Scottish coast (opens in new tab)
June 2018
Reporting from the field on the full-scale Northern Isles deployment off Orkney and the case for coastal compute.
Gizmodo
Microsoft’s Newest Data Center Is a Giant Metal Can at the Bottom of the Sea (opens in new tab)
June 2018
An account of Northern Isles’ recovery after more than two years of operation on the seafloor.
Huffington Post
Microsoft Has Dropped A Data Centre To The Bottom Of The Ocean (opens in new tab)
June 2018
The article traces the full-scale Northern Isles deployment off Orkney and the case for coastal compute.
CNBC
Microsoft deploys an underwater submarine-like data center (opens in new tab)
June 2018
Context for the full-scale Northern Isles deployment off Orkney and the case for coastal compute.
Microsoft News
Under the sea, Microsoft tests a datacenter that’s quick to deploy (opens in new tab)
June 2018
A perspective on the full-scale Northern Isles deployment off Orkney and the case for coastal compute.
Azure Blog
Monitoring environmental conditions near underwater datacenters using Deep Learning (opens in new tab)
June 2018
A closer look at the early Project Natick experiment to operate cloud infrastructure in the ocean.
Phase 1 publications
The Liquid Grid
Underwater Datacenters (opens in new tab)
October 2017
The story follows the early Project Natick experiment to operate cloud infrastructure in the ocean.
IEEE Spectrum
Want an Energy-Efficient Data Center? Build It Underwater (opens in new tab)
February 2016
Here, the focus is ocean cooling, renewable power, and the potential environmental impact of subsea compute.
New York Times
Microsoft Plumbs Ocean Depths to Test Underwater Data Center (opens in new tab)
February 2016
Reporting from the field on the early Project Natick experiment to operate cloud infrastructure in the ocean.
Fortune
Microsoft Test Drives (Dives?) Submarine Data Center (opens in new tab)
February 2016
An account of the full-scale Northern Isles deployment off Orkney and the case for coastal compute.
VentureBeat
Microsoft’s Project Natick brings data centers underwater (opens in new tab)
February 2016
The article traces the early Project Natick experiment to operate cloud infrastructure in the ocean.
Microsoft News Center
Microsoft research project puts cloud in ocean for the first time (opens in new tab)
February 2016
Context for the early Project Natick experiment to operate cloud infrastructure in the ocean.
Digital Trends
Microsoft is making a digital Atlantis (opens in new tab)
February 2016
A perspective on the early Project Natick experiment to operate cloud infrastructure in the ocean.
PC World
Microsoft’s audacious Project Natick wants to submerge your data (opens in new tab)
February 2016
A closer look at Microsoft’s exploration of subsea datacenter design, deployment, and operation.
Business Insider
Microsoft has a crazy project to build massive data centres under the sea (opens in new tab)
February 2016
The story follows Microsoft’s exploration of subsea datacenter design, deployment, and operation.
ABC Online
Microsoft goes underwater to test mega internet data centre technology (opens in new tab)
February 2016
Here, the focus is the early Project Natick experiment to operate cloud infrastructure in the ocean.
Popular Science
This Is Why Microsoft Is Putting Data Servers In The Ocean (opens in new tab)
February 2016
Reporting from the field on the early Project Natick experiment to operate cloud infrastructure in the ocean.
Tech Insider
This is Microsoft’s plan to power the internet from under the sea (opens in new tab)
February 2016
An account of Microsoft’s exploration of subsea datacenter design, deployment, and operation.