A REVOLUTIONARY invention, which could slash greenhouse gas emissions from computer centres, has won £750,000-worth of backing for its creator, Sheffield Technology Parks-based Iceotope.
The company, founded by green PC pioneer Peter Hopton, is targeting data centres – giant warehouses packed with racks of computer servers which form the backbone of the internet as well as providing secure data storage for major companies.
And, it has secured £300,000-worth of cash from South Yorkshire Investment Fund (SYIF) as part of a £750,000 package, which includes funding from The RisingStars Growth Fund II.
Details of the invention are being kept under wraps until an official launch later this year.
However, Dan Chester, a former semiconductor industry entrepreneur who was brought in to spearhead Iceotope's development, did reveal that it involves using liquid to cool the server racks.
Mr Chester says data centre servers generate massive amounts of heat, which has to be got rid of or it would cause electronic components and computers to fail.
The servers are currently cooled by using large scale air conditioning plants to chill the hot air they generate – further increasing the data centre's carbon footprint.
Liquid cooling would not only be more energy efficient, it would also keep the servers cooler, extending their life span.
Peter Hopton, one of the founders of award-winning low energy, high performance PC manufacturer VeryPC, says each data centre server causes the same emissions annually as a Range Rover which has been driven for 15,000 kilometres.
What's more, Harvard University physicist Alex Wissner-Gross has calculated that searching for something using Google can result in the same amount of CO2 being generated as boiling a kettle.
"Iceotope is setting its sights on halving the damage and costs of this power," says Peter Hopton.
"Servers often have a life-span of five years, so when they need to be refreshed we can include this new technology. There are thousands of data centres around the world, that host and run websites for millions of people.
"The investors saw the potential of the invention. They helped find a team who could take my idea and turn it into reality. They didn't need a complete team and business plan in order to see the potential."
Iceotope received initial Seedcorn funding from SYIF in 2008 to test its idea and independently assess its potential.
"In a few months we had enough data to show that not only could Iceotope's technology help, it could make a huge impact on energy and capital budgets for data centres," says Dan Chester:
Ed French, SYIF Seedcorn Fund manager, adds:
"The Seedcorn investment has now shown the great potential of the technology and the team behind it. We've now provided funding that can accelerate their work into 2010."
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