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Microsoft will collaborate with Redox Power Systems, Trans-Tech and the University of Maryland to carry out a $5 million government-funded research project on fuel cells as power source for data centers, Data Center Knowledge reported Tuesday.
Yevgeniy Sverdlik writes the project will use methane-powered fuel cells installed in data center IT racks to differentiate from an earlier research project using hydrogen-powered fuel cells.
“Overall, we believe the advancements being made in fuel cells will someday change the game in terms of how energy is delivered and managed,” Sean James, a technology research program manager at Microsoft, told Data Center Knowledge.
As part of the collaboration, Microsoft’s research partners will develop the fuel cells that the company will integrate into its own server racks for live testing.
The Energy Department‘s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy provided the funding for the project, Sverdlik reports.
The report said other companies such as Apple and eBay have also used fuel cells as power supply for data centers, although in larger deployments.
