Microsoft's venture Natick

Microsoft on Monday unveiled project Natick, a studies initiative aimed toward growing underwater facts facilities that would be constructed close to coastal cities.

The venture is still in its infancy, but Microsoft built one check facility closing year.

Dubbed "Leona Philpot" -- after a character in the Halo video game series -- it was deployed 30 toes underwater off the California coast in August and changed into tested thru December, while it changed into back to the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington.

Mission Natick carried out the test to determine the viability of destiny underwater statistics centers, which eventually may want to run for two decades or greater with out onsite aid personnel.

The assignment's roots cross again to 2013 when Microsoft employee Sean James submitted a ThinkWeek paper providing the idea. James, who had served on a U.S. military submarine, highlighted the benefits of setting computer systems and even whole information facilities underwater.

undertaking Natick kicked off a year later, and trying out began last summer.