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Datacenter in a box

October 22, 2020.

Azure Modular Datacenter.

Azure Modular Datacenter. © Microsoft.

After its underwater data center coup, Microsoft unveiled a modular data center that can be deployed to remote areas, as well as a partnership with SpaceX to connect those data centers to high-speed Internet through Starlink’s constellation of low Earth orbit satellites. Microsoft said the Azure Modular Datacenter (MDC) is “for customers who need cloud computing capabilities in hybrid or challenging environments, including remote areas” for scenarios such as “mobile command centers, humanitarian assistance, military mission needs, [and] mineral exploration.” The MDC is “a self-contained datacenter unit” that “can operate in a wide range of climates and harsh conditions.”

Ars Technica, Jon Brodkin, “Microsoft’s new data center in a box will use SpaceX Starlink broadband.”