Here's why Microsoft is building a massive data center underwater →

The tech giant is hoping to run data centers on renewable energy and bring them closer to the people.

Data centers have long been criticized by environmental groups for their egregious energy use across the globe. A 2016 US government study found that data centers in the United States consumed 70 billion kWh of electricity in 2014, equal to 1.8% of the country's total energy consumption for that year.

In 2014, researchers estimated that data centers were responsible for about 2% of total global greenhouse emissions annually and that number continues to rise as more of the world's population gains access to the internet, cloud computing continues to expand, and artificial intelligence (AI) gets embedded in more and more devices. Many companies are now looking for ways to tackle this problem with low-cost, environment-friendly solutions.

Microsoft is hoping to address this issue from a number of different angles with the first-ever underwater data center. The initiative, known as Project Natick, began in July 2014 and officially moved into phase two on Tuesday, according to a Microsoft press release.

"When you are in this kind of exponential growth curve, it tells you that most of the datacenters that we'll ever build we haven't built yet," said Ben Cutler, leader of the Project Natick team in the release.

According to the release, their goal is to create "self-sufficient underwater data centers that can deliver lightning-quick cloud services to coastal cities" using "experimental, shipping-container-sized" prototypes. The first one has been deployed in Scotland near the Orkney Islands, and phase two will consist of watching the data center process workloads for the next 12 months to see if it is economically and environmentally viable.

"The deployment of the Northern Isles datacenter at the European Marine Energy Centre marks a milestone in Microsoft's Project Natick, a years-long research effort to investigate manufacturing and operating environmentally sustainable, prepackaged datacenter units that can be ordered to size, rapidly deployed and left to operate lights out on the seafloor for years," researchers noted in the release.

Microsoft was also quick to highlight that much of the world's population lives within 120 miles of a coast, and as populations continue to increase, demand for fast web surfing and video streaming will rise exponentially. They believe that placing data centers, which Microsoft calls the "physical clouds of cloud computing," in bodies of water near cities would lessen the need for lengthy cables and cut costs.

"If we can be within one internet hop of everyone, then it not only benefits our products, but also the products our customers serve," Peter Lee, corporate vice president of Microsoft AI and Research, said in the release.

The European Marine Energy Centre in Scotland is an ideal locale to test the idea because it already serves as a test site for experimental tidal turbines and wave energy converters that generate electricity from the movement of seawater, according to Microsoft. The entire town runs on renewable energy, making the data centers right at home.

The 40-foot structure carries 864 servers on 12 tall racks on the inside and now sits on the seafloor. The researchers believe it will last up to five years without maintenance, the release noted.

Microsoft worked with the 400-year-old Naval Group from France to create the submarine container for the data center, and said the ocean water provided a number of benefits for sustainable energy use.

"The world's oceans at depth are consistently cold, offering ready and free access to cooling, which is one of the biggest costs for land-based datacenters," the release said. "Underwater data centers could also serve as anchor tenants for marine renewable energy such as offshore wind farms or banks of tidal turbines, allowing the two industries to evolve in lockstep."

Christian Belady, general manager of cloud infrastructure strategy and architecture, said their hope is to one day have a fleet of data centers with their own sustainable power supply that can be sent anywhere.

"Energy self-sufficient data centers could be deployed anywhere within reach of a data pipe, bringing Azure cloud services, for example, to regions of the world with unreliable electricity, and eliminate the need for costly backup generators in case of power grid failures," the release said.

*this article was featured on TechRepublic.com on June 7, 2018: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/heres-why-microsoft-is-building-a-massive-data-center-underwater/

Going green? Here are the easiest ways to recycle your old tech devices →

Apple, Amazon, and other tech companies offer a host of programs that will help give your device a second life.

We all have a shoebox stashed away somewhere full of fraying cords and ancient hardware from a different era. As tech companies pump out newer, sleeker, and faster devices on a year-to-year basis, it's only natural for certain devices to lose their luster or fall into disrepair.

By 2020, Greenpeace estimates there will be 6 billion smartphone users, each replacing their phones every two years, on average. The waste from smartphones, as well as obsolete desktops and laptops, is already straining the environment in a number of different ways.

E-waste is growing out of control, with the United Nations finding in 2014 that over 40 million metric tons of devices and parts found their way into landfills. They estimate a 21% increase in 2018. However, tech companies have started to step up to the challenge, expanding recycling programs and offering more refurbished devices for sale.

Amazon offers gift cards for any old devices that still work and provides clear directions for sending in any items that no longer function. They have an easy-to-follow portal that prints a UPS shipping label for you to quickly send your device back. Smartphones, tablets, Kindles, and games are accepted for return.

The company supports "the responsible disposal and recycling of electronics products" and has over 30,000 collection sites for rechargeable batteries, it says on its website. You can even recycle the boxes your Amazon purchase comes in. Amazon also allows you to donate any other non-electronic items you may have by putting them in your used boxes and printing a free UPS label from their Give Back Box program. Donations go to your local participating charity.

Similarly, Apple has a robust recycling effort, dangling the prospect of Apple Gift Cards for any prospective refurbishers.

"No matter the model or condition, we can turn it into something good for you and good for the planet. And through April 30, we'll make a donation to Conservation International for every device we receive — getting us even closer to leaving the world better than we found it," Apple wrote on its website.

After only a few questions, users can figure out how much their old device is worth, or if it's worth anything at all, and instantly get Apple Store credit or Apple Store Gift Cards. Apple claims to disassemble at least 200 iPhones an hour using Daisy, a robot designed specifically for the recycling process. They have been eager to take on the recycling challenge and continue to push for more and more ways to reuse minerals and parts in old devices.

In an April press release, CEO Tim Cook said that Apple would continue to push "the boundaries of what is possible with the materials in our products, the way we recycle them, our facilities and our work with suppliers to establish new creative and forward-looking sources of renewable energy because we know the future depends on it."

Apple has lead the way in publicly condemning the environmentally-costly lifecycle of most devices on the market, writing in their environmental responsibility report last year that they needed to move toward "a closed-loop supply chain, where products are built using only renewable resources or recycled material."

Google has its own recycling program, offering both mail-in services and collection sites. Both Google products and other electronics can get you something from the Google Store.

Sony established one of the first recycling programs for their televisions and electronics in 2007. In 2016, they collected 9,749 tons of used consumer electronics and aim to have a collection center within 20 miles of 95% of the homes in North America.

As of March last year, Sony cumulatively collected approximately 222,727 tons of electronic devices. You can also contact them online with any questions about how and where to recycle any old devices or electronics. Although they don't offer payment or credit for any non-Sony devices, they do recycle everything for free and have a special program for rechargeable batteries.

Samsung, now the world's largest smartphone producer, organizes a number of different recycling programs for their devices. They have collection sites across the US for devices, batteries, and printer toner, but do not offer mail-in services. Depending on the state, Samsung is required to recycle their devices at no cost to you. They do not say whether credit or gift cards are offered in exchange for old devices.

LG has programs similar to other tech giants, allowing mail-in recycling in the US at no cost. They also have drop-off sites where you can bring in anything from a TV to a smartphone. It is unclear from their website whether they offer any reward for products that still work.

There are also many charities and non-profit organizations collecting electronics and putting them to good use. Music & Memory collects old iPods and mp3 players and refurbishes them for use in nursing homes. Other organizations offer home pick-ups of old electronics and devices that you no longer need.

Before letting that shoebox overflow with old devices, cords, and batteries, check an organization's website to see if you can be rewarded for recycling.

*this article was featured on the Tech Republic website on April 20, 2018: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/going-green-here-are-the-easiest-ways-to-recycle-your-old-tech-devices/