Here’s what you should know today:

• COOLING, TECH, AND POWER: Quantum networks and the new computing frontier, plus a quantum group adds a new member

• CHECK THIS OUT: 👀 What happens when a nuclear fuel pin overheats?

• BIG DEALS: These are Tesla’s biggest fans! And Microsoft kills its underwater darlings, and a new data center safety council

- Cooling, tech, and power -

Quantum Networks: The Next Big Breakthrough

Quantum networks, possibly the future of secure communication, just got a major boost.
Teams in the US, China, and the Netherlands have independently made breakthroughs in developing quantum repeaters, crucial for scaling these networks.

These repeaters allow the transmission of entangled photons over long distances without breaking their entanglement, which is vital for secure quantum communication.

Here's a quick rundown of these breakthroughs:

• Boston Team: They managed to store entangled photons using silicon atoms in diamond chips.

• Netherlands Team: Similar approach but with nitrogen atoms in diamond crystals.

• Chinese Team: They used clouds of rubidium atoms for the same purpose.

These advancements are a big deal for a couple of reasons. First, they bring us closer to secure quantum networks. Second, they show that China, long a leader in quantum tech, is now facing serious competition.

China has been way ahead in quantum investments, with over $15 billion compared to the US’s $3.8 billion. They also have the largest quantum network, a 3000-mile behemoth connecting Beijing, Hefei, and Shanghai. However, these networks use trusted nodes and satellites, which are not ideal for global scalability.

The goal is to use existing fiber networks to transmit photons. This is challenging because fiber noise limits the distance photons can travel.

Enter quantum repeaters, which store and relay entangled photons without breaking the entanglement. The Boston team showed this tech in action over 22 miles of commercial fiber in the city, using a single silicon atom in a diamond chip as a memory buffer.

Check out the basics of quantum communications here:

However, we’re still a few years away from seeing this technology in commercial use. Each quantum repeater currently needs to be supercooled and is the size of a large refrigerator. Plus, they can only handle one photon at a time. Scaling this up is the next challenge.

In the near term, quantum networks could be used for the secure transmission of encryption keys, safeguarding sensitive communications against future quantum computers. They could also link quantum computers, allowing them to work together as a single, powerful machine.

While we’re not there yet, these advancements mark a significant step towards practical, secure quantum networks using our existing infrastructure.

_____________________________________

What’s More: Quantum Group Adds New Star

As quantum computing advances, so does the need for energy-efficient solutions. Riverlane, a company focusing on quantum error correction, has joined the Quantum Energy Initiative (QEI). 

Other QEI members include Microsoft Azure Quantum, IBM Quantum, and Alice & Bob.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the electricity consumption by data centers is set to grow to 1,000 terawatt-hours by 2026, equal to the entire amount used by Japan. 
Quantum computers, expected to solve problems more efficiently, could help reduce energy demands and carbon emissions.

QEI researches the environmental footprint of quantum computing. Member organizations define energy-based metrics, set consumption limits, and investigate hardware and software impacts on energy use. “We enthusiastically welcome Riverlane into the Quantum Energy Initiative as an industrial partner,” said QEI co-founder Robert Whitney.

Riverlane's Deltaflow.Decode error decoder uses less than 10mW, designed to keep pace with quantum computers with minimal energy use. By improving quantum error correction, Riverlane aims to make quantum computing not only practical but also energy-efficient.

Marco Ghibauldi, Riverlane's VP of Engineering, emphasized, “For quantum computers to deliver energy savings over today’s classical supercomputers, we first need them to be useful. By joining the Quantum Energy Initiative, we aim to contribute to research ensuring quantum technology maximizes energy efficiencies.”

_____________________________________

More in Cooling, Tech, and Power

1. ECL launches the first hydrogen-powered data center. Data Center Frontier recently highlighted ECL’s first production data center using hydrogen as its primary power source. The proof-of-concept site has been fully leased to bare metal provider, Cato Digital.

🎧 Watch This

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) recently released footage of a new experiment that simulates what happens to a nuclear fuel pin when it starts to overheat. The new series of tests will ultimately help researchers better understand the safety limits of nuclear fuel.

- Deals and Developments -

From the Depths Below: Microsoft’s Underwater Data Centers Are Dead

After more than a decade of research, Microsoft has quietly ended its Project Natick, the underwater data center experiment. This decision marks the conclusion of a project aimed at reducing the environmental impact of data centers by placing them beneath the sea.

Noelle Walsh, head of Microsoft's Cloud Operations + Innovation division, confirmed the termination, stating, “I’m not building subsea data centers anywhere in the world.” Despite ending Project Natick, Microsoft plans to apply the valuable lessons learned to future projects.

Project Natick, which began in 2013, saw its most notable test unit deployed off the coast of Scotland’s Orkney Islands in 2018. 
The underwater data center operated for five years, showcasing the potential for reduced latency and lower environmental impact by using local renewable energy and minimizing the need for external cooling.

The experiment demonstrated that underwater data centers could be more reliable than their land-based counterparts.

The stable temperature of the sea helped keep more servers active and functional. Despite these successes, Microsoft has decided to shift focus, citing "a series of quiet years."

As the data center industry grows to meet the demands of artificial intelligence, the lessons from Project Natick will still influence future developments. Microsoft will use the project as a research platform to explore new concepts in data center reliability and sustainability, such as liquid immersion cooling.

_____________________________________

More Big Deals

• Tesla’s biggest fans: Check out this tweet from Bill Kleyman on Tesla’s Giga Texas data center, which will house some 50,000 Nvidia GPUs for training their Full Self-Driving technology. And look at the size of these fans!

  

  Credit: Bill Kleyman. Linkedin.

• EdgeCore, Yondr, and Stack announce new data center safety council: The group is aimed at creating a unified approach toward the safety and well-being of workers in data centers. The council has been organized by Antea Group, an environment, health, safety, and sustainability consulting firm, and is currently recruiting peers from the industry to join.

Thank you for reading.

You can support this newsletter by telling me how we did or sharing it with a friend or colleague.

- Taylor