New IBM Supercomputer Also Heats Buildings!

SVM — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 20:35:31 +0000

IBM has created the new Aquasar supercomputer which uses water to siphon off waste heat, and then uses the excess energy to warm up a building. Developed jointly by IBM and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, the Aquasar’s microchips avoid cooling with energy-intensive air conditioning by using water to transfer heat away from the chips. A network of water-carrying “micro-capillaries” take water very close to the microchips, cooling the system at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius rather than a traditional coolant that requires a temperature of about 20 degrees Celsius, according to IBM researcher Dr. Thomas Brunschwiler.

In addition, the excess heat from the computer will be piped into the building’s heating. The 25 kilowatt system will account for just “a small fraction” of the building’s overall energy demand, but researchers said future applications are promising. According to IBM, Aquasar will reduce overall energy consumption by 40 percent and save up to 30 tons of carbon dioxide a year, which is about the equivalent of driving an average car around the world 10 times!

For more information, see: http://blogs.reuters.com/environment/2009/06/23/ibm-supercomputer-reuses-heat-to-warm-buildings/

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New IBM Supercomputer Also Heats Buildings!