at Microsoft Research TechFest 2009, Microsoft announced a new research organization called “Cloud Computing Futures”. Cloud computing research begins with a key concept: the data center is a computer , and it must be designed and programmed as an integrated system. Cloud computing futures team will be working on task that include building novel data center solutions. Cloud computing futures team will target lowering hardware costs and power consumption, as well as reducing the environmental impact of operations, particularly in carbon emissions. The group will partner with others across the broader industry to explore hardware innovations while simultaneously building the software stack to exploit new hardware designs.
Two particular datacenter projects were on display:
- Closed-Loop Control Systems for the Datacenter: a project aimed at improving the energy efficiency of datacenters by selectively putting idle servers into a low-power state while maintaining service response times.
- Low-Power Processors for the Datacenter: an experiment to build a server from low-power processors and evaluate how well it runs some of the tasks typically performed in a datacenter, such as processing a large number of independent requests or running databases for a Web site.
Other projects from Microsoft’s worldwide labs spanning dozens of disciplines in computer science that were shown to the public at TechFest 2009 included the following:
- Commute UX: Dialog System for In-Car Infotainment: A set of spoken language technologies that enable automobile drivers to easily interact with their devices and information more naturally
- Audio Spatialization and Acoustic Echo Cancellation for Teleconferencing: A technology that makes the teleconferencing experience more realistic, which is especially important as travel budgets become more constrained
- Sticky Notes in Augmented Reality: An investigation of new ways for people to use the physical space around them to interact with the digital information and media they really care about, wherever they are
- Situated Interaction: A project that weaves together multiple sensing, learning and reasoning components to create conversational systems that help with everyday tasks and activities to bring to life services such as those provided by a personal assistant and a building receptionist
- Social Media and Learning Theory: A study that examines people’s online behaviour and helps to model social interactions so people can get the most value from their networks.
