Decentralised Cloud in Existing Infrastructure: A Modular Approach for Heating with Data CentresTinka de Leeuw, Leandro Gohl, Lena Nydegger, Marlon Etter, and Till Moosberger
The increased use of data has led to a growing data centre market. This energy-intensive infrastructure is taking up an increasingly large amount of space. This raises the question of how data centres can be designed and located to add value to society. The Swiss cloud computing firm Infomaniak is collaborating with the cooperative La Bistoquette, located in Plan-les-Ouates, in the Canton of Geneva. The collaboration enables the firm to use space efficiently and creates benefits for the inhabitants of La Bistoquette as the waste heat from the servers heats their homes. Based on this case study, we developed a concept that could lower living costs by enabling people to own a micro data centre and reuse waste heat directly. Decentralising data centres in existing infrastructure increases redundancy.