Data center with free-space optical communications

• US 8,712,250 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2010
• Issued: 04/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Davidson, Howard Lee, Hamilton, James R., Hyde, Roderick A., Josefsberg, Arne, Jung, Edward K. Y., Kare, Jordin T., Lord, Robert W., Lustig, Kenneth, Mangione-Smith, William Henry, Manos, Michael, Mundie, Craig J., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Rashid, Richard F., Smith, Burton, Tegreene, Clarence T., Welland, Robert V., Whitmer, Charles, Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): DOBSON, DANIEL G
• Application Number:
  US12/924,289
• Publication Number:
  US 20110150486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 398118-131, 398/171
• US Class Current: 398/171
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1149 Arrangements for indoor wireless networking of information
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/807 Optical power feeding, i.e. transmitting power using an optical signal

Abstract

A data center for executing a data processing application includes processing units, sub-units or servers. Each of the processing units, sub-units or servers can execute a part or all of the data processing application. The processing units, sub-units or servers are electrical disjoint with respect to data communications, but can communicate with each other over free space optical links.

Claims

1. A data center unit, comprising:

one or more data processing units;

an optical and/or wireless power receiver; and

a motion mechanism configured to independently move the data center unit from a first location to a second location in response to a command from a network controller, wherein the second location comprises a service location configured to deliver optical and/or wireless power, and

wherein at least one of the data processing units is configured to run a part or all of a data processing application using optical and/or wireless power received by the power receiver.

2. The data center unit of claim 1, wherein the wireless power received by the power receiver comprises rf and/or microwave power.

3. The data center unit of claim 1, wherein the optical power receiver is configured to receive optical power over an optical fiber.

4. The data center unit of claim 1, wherein the optical power receiver is configured to receive optical power over a free space link.

5. The data center unit of claim 1, wherein the optical power receiver comprises an optical power-to-electricity converter.

6. The data center unit of claim 1, wherein the optical power receiver comprises a photo-diode, a silicon photo diode, a III-V photo-diode, and/or a compound semiconductor photo-diode.

7. The data center unit of claim 6, wherein the optical power receiver comprises a photo-diode configured to operate at cryogenic temperatures.

8. The data center unit of claim 1, wherein the data processing unit is configured to be deployable in a data center that is connected to an external network and has an internal network of one or more communication links between nodal points (nodes) in the data center.

9. The data center unit of claim 1, wherein the data processing unit is configured to be deployable in a data center that is connected to an external network and has an internal network of one or more free space optical communication links between nodal points (nodes) in the data center.

10. The data center unit of claim 1, wherein the data processing unit comprises an optical interface unit configured to respond to optical control signals to connect the data processing unit to an internal network so that the optical interface unit corresponds to a nodal point in the internal network and the data center unit is arranged to communicate data processing application data in data center operation over one or more free space optical communication links.

11. The data center unit of claim 1, further comprising, an optical interface unit (OIU) configured to connect or disconnect the data center unit to or from the internal network of one or more free space optical communication links.

12. The data center unit of claim 11, wherein the OIU is configured to connect or disconnect the data center unit to or from the internal network under free space optical signal control.

13. The data center unit of claim 11, wherein the OIU comprises opto-mechanical, opto-acoustic, and/or opto-electric transducers responsive to optical signal control to connect or disconnect the data center unit to or from the internal network.

14. The data center unit of claim 11, wherein the OIU comprises a light beam transmitter, pass-through device, and/or a receiver.

15. The data center unit of claim 11, wherein the OIU comprises at least one of an optical signal pass-through device, an optical beam generator, an optical beam modulator, an optical beam director, a steerable optical element, a beam-forming circuitry, an optical signal receiver/detector, an electrical-to-optical signal convertor, an optical-to-electrical signal converter, electrical and/or optical switchgear.

16. The data center unit of claim 11, wherein the OIU is responsive to a locating beacon to connect or disconnect the data center unit to or from the internal network of one or more free space optical communication links.

17. The data center unit of claim 11, further comprising, control circuitry configured to supervise operations of the OIU and/or additional data processing unit components.

18. The data center unit of claim 1, wherein the one or more data processing units are arranged as one or more individual data processing units and/or in one or more groups as data center bottles, wherein the data processing units include one or more data processing circuits, and wherein the data processing circuits include one or more electronic modules, boxes, servers, cards, boards, and/or racks or free standing assemblies thereof.

19. The data center unit of claim 18, further comprising, an internal power grid configured to distribute power within a data center bottle to one or more included data processing units and/or data processing circuits, and/or an internal power grid configured to distribute power within a data center unit to one or more included data processing circuits.

20. A data center comprising:

a plurality of data center units (DCUs) disposed in a region, each DCU comprising a motion mechanism configured to independently move the DCU in and out of the region in response to a command from a network controller, wherein each DCU is configured to run a part or all of a data processing application; and

a power distribution system configured to distribute optical and/or wireless power to the plurality of data center units disposed in the region,

wherein at least a first of the plurality of data center units is configured to run

its part or all of the data processing application using optical and/or wireless power received via the power distribution system.

21. The data center of claim 20, wherein the power distribution system comprises an optical and/or wireless power receiver associated with the first of the plurality of data center units in the region.

22. The data center of claim 21, wherein the wireless power received by the power receiver comprises rf and/or microwave power.

23. The data center of claim 21, wherein the power receiver is configured to receive optical power over an optical fiber.

24. The data center of claim 21, wherein the power receiver is configured to receive optical power over a free space optical link.

25. The data center of claim 21, wherein the power receiver comprises an optical-to-electric power converter.

26. The data center of claim 21, wherein the optical power receiver comprises a photo-diode, a silicon photo diode, an III-V photo-diode, and/or a compound semiconductor photo-diode.

27. The data center of claim 21, wherein the optical power receiver comprises a photo-diode configured to operate at cryogenic temperatures.

28. The data center of claim 20, wherein the plurality of data center units are electrically disjoint.

29. The data center of claim 20, further comprising, a cooling arrangement coupled to one or more of the plurality of data center units disposed in the region, wherein the cooling arrangement is based on a spray, blown air/gas, and/or a LN2 coolant.

30. The data center of claim 20, further comprising, one or more optical free space links and/or fiber optic links configured for off-board communications to and from the plurality of data center units.

31. The data center of claim 20, wherein the power distribution system comprises one or more optical free space links and/or fiber optic links configured to distribute optical power to the plurality of data center units.

32. The data center of claim 20, further comprising, an internal network of one or more data communication links between nodal points across the data center.

33. The data center of claim 32, wherein the one or more data communication links comprise free space and/or fiber optic links between nodal points across the data center.

34. The data center of claim 20, further comprising, a cooling unit.

35. The data center of claim 20, further comprising, a power storage unit.

36. The data center of claim 20, wherein the plurality of data center units comprises one or more of data center bottles and/or data processing units, wherein the data center bottles include a plurality of data processing units, wherein the data processing units include one or more data processing circuits, and wherein the data processing circuits include one or more electronic modules, boxes, servers, cards, boards, and/or racks or free standing assemblies thereof.

37. The data center of claim 36, further comprising, an internal power grid configured to distribute power within a data center bottle to one or more included data processing units and/or data processing circuits, and/or an internal power grid configured to distribute power within a data center unit to one or more included data processing circuits.

38. A method for executing a data processing application, comprising:

in a data center unit (DCU),

providing one or more data processing units;

providing an optical and/or wireless power receiver;

providing a motion mechanism configured to independently move the DCU from a first location to a second location in response to a command from a network controller, wherein the second location comprises a service location configured to deliver optical and/or wireless power; and

configuring at least one of the data processing units to run a part or all of the data processing application using optical and/or wireless power received by the power receiver.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the wireless power received by the power receiver comprises rf and/or microwave power.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein the data processing unit comprises an optical interface unit configured to respond to optical control signals to connect the data processing unit to an internal network so that the optical interface unit corresponds to a nodal point in the internal network and the data center unit is arranged to communicate data processing application data in data center operation over one or more free space optical communication links.

41. The method of claim 38, further comprising, providing an optical interface unit (OIU) configured to connect or disconnect the data center unit to or from the internal network of one or more free space optical communication links.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising, providing control circuitry configured to supervise operations of the OIU and/or additional data processing unit components.

43. A method comprising:

providing a plurality of data center units (DCUs) disposed in a region, each DCU comprising a motion mechanism configured to independently move the DCU in and out of the region in response to a command from a network controller, wherein each DCU is configured to run a part or all of a data processing application; and

providing a power distribution system configured to distribute optical and/or wireless power to the plurality of data center units disposed in the region,

wherein at least a first of the plurality of data center units is configured to run

its part or all of the data processing application using optical and/or wireless power received via the power distribution system.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the power distribution system comprises an optical and/or wireless power receiver associated with the first of the plurality of data center units in the region.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein the plurality of data center units are electrically disjoint.

46. The method of claim 43, further comprising, providing one or more optical free space links and/or fiber optic links configured for off-board communications to and from the plurality of data center units.

47. The method of claim 43, further comprising, providing an internal network of one or more data communication links between nodal points across the data center.