Google Network Speculation

Robert X. Cringely's column is always interesting, the most recent particularly so to network geeks. In Google-Mart he speculates that Google aims to get closer to their users by locating mini data-centers at peering points and connecting to each other using the, currently dark, fibre they have recently been accumulating. Why the fibre he asks, and answers thus;

Google hired a pair of very bright industrial designers to figure out how to cram the greatest number of CPUs, the most storage, memory and power support into a 20- or 40-foot box. We're talking about 5000 Opteron processors and 3.5 petabytes of disk storage that can be dropped-off overnight by a tractor-trailer rig. The idea is to plant one of these puppies anywhere Google owns access to fiber, basically turning the entire Internet into a giant processing and storage grid.

The article is sub-titled, "Sam Walton Taught Google More About How to Dominate the Internet Than Microsoft Ever Did". Like Wal-Mart, cheap and convenient, such a move would put Google Inc. 2 or 3 hops from the user and positions them well to deliver a faster and less onerous proposition be that in search, mail, video or an office suite.

Posted by Paul in Internet Infrastructure Tech at November 22, 2005 12:16 AM