I've been reading this article from NyTimes and found out that Google has been designing their own servers and now is considering creating its own custom microchips.

To be closer to its users and speed response time, it is building a worldwide string of data centers, including a huge site in The Dalles, Ore., with technologies it designed to reduce its ravenous need for electricity. These computers in turn use software developed with advanced tools that Google also designed itself. There are signs that Google is even preparing to create its own custom microchips.

With such a big operation like Google, it may be a good idea for them to design their own servers that would fit their use. If you consider the amount of electricity it needs to power up all the servers and provide cooling, that is a big part of its operational costs.

This is probably why Eric E. Schmidt, Google's chief executive(a former Sun executive) is increasingly doing business with Sun because Sun has developed a new microchip that is especially efficient in electricity use.

Cut down on electricity used by the thousands of servers and you also cut down the heat generated by these servers which translates to lower air conditioning costs for the datacenters. That move could minimize their data center operating expenses.

In the article, there are also hints that Google might be developing a parallel computer which is why Google is interested in creating servers and chips. There might be some truth to it. Google's investors are basically Computer Scientists at heart, they would love to play around with a parallel computer.

continue reading at nytimes.com