Google might start its own computer navy

[Larwee]

This sounds a little like one of those elaborate jokes that Google plays on April Fool's Day.

While this isn't an April Fool's joke, it does sound strange and is causing some people to wonder what might be behind it.

It is being reported that Google is considering the deployment of supercomputers on barges a few miles offshore to operate its search engines.

According to the news report, Google has a patent application in which Google states:

Computing centers are located on a ship or ships, anchored in a water body from which energy from natural motion of the water may be captured, and turned into electricity and/or pumping power for cooling pumps to carry heat away.

All types of questions have been raised about these barges including problems related to storms and possible attacks by pirates and/or terrorists.

There has long been interest in Google patent applications and they are closely watched. Some people wonder if Google is serious about all of their patent applications or if they are sometimes just trying to confuse people who are watching the moves Google makes.

Google wouldn't comment on the "computer navy." All they would say was:

We file patent applications on a variety of ideas. Some of those ideas later mature into real products, services or infrastructure, some don’t.

Here is an article that has more details about this Google search finds seafaring solution - Times Online