A UK web site has quoted an un-named former google employee as saying that the company has demanded that the Intel chips which run its servers should operate at five degrees above their normal specification in order to save millions of dollars each year in data center cooling costs.
Google reportedly had a deal with Intel under which chips operating at higher temperatures would be replaced at no extra charge in the event of failure.
Intel reportedly responded in an email saying: "This is NOT true,
The Register reported that the source for the report also told the web site that Google used containerised data centers to build its facilities across the world. Google declined to comment saying it did not discuss its data centers or supplier relationships.
Thermal profiling of data centers is becoming the norm with operating temperatures expected to rise steadily.