A large structure has been built on a barge floating in San Francisco leading to rumours it is the start of a floating Google data centre. The structure, which stands about four stories high and is made with a series of modern cargo containers, has been linked to Google by CNET.

A reporter found links to a Google project through talking to locals on Treasure Island, experts and a source on LinkedIn. The evidence builds up as Google was granted a patent in 2009 for a floating data centre and building data centres inside shipping containers is already common. The patent looks at the benefits of floating data centres and states: "It can be beneficial to distribute computing power closer to users.

"As such, data centres may be moved closer to users, with relevant content sent from a central facility out to regional data centres only once, and further transmissions occurring over shorter regional links. "However, it can be expensive to build and locate data centres, and it is not always easy to find access to necessary (and inexpensive) electrical power, high-bandwidth data connections, and cooling water for such data centres."

There are also rumours that the barge could be a Google Glass floating marketing centre, according to KPIX 5 for CBS in San Francisco. Sources reportedly said the completed structure was "a giant kind of Apple store" for Google Glass and would be anchored at San Francisco's Fort Mason where it would be made open to the public.

By: DocMemory
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