data center

Abstract

To facilitate the expansion of data centers. [Solution] The data center according to this embodiment comprises a plurality of container data buildings, each equipped with a plurality of server devices, and a connecting building located between the container data buildings to link them together. Each container data building comprises a server room where a plurality of server devices are arranged, and an air conditioning room where a temperature control device for adjusting the temperature of the server room is located. Air conditioning piping connected to the temperature control device and carrying refrigerant passes through the connecting building and is located in the server room and the air conditioning room.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosed embodiments relate to data centers.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a system that generates a response sentence for a question sentence input by a user using a generation model is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Currently, for example, it is necessary to process a large amount of information, and a data center capable of processing a large amount of information is required. It is desirable that the data center be expandable as needed.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a data center that can be easily expanded.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A data center according to an aspect of an embodiment includes a plurality of container data buildings in which a plurality of server devices are provided, and a connecting building provided between the container data buildings and connecting the container data buildings. The container data building includes a server room in which a plurality of server devices are arranged, and an air-conditioning room in which a temperature control device for adjusting the temperature of the server room is arranged. An air-conditioning pipe connected to the temperature control device and through which a refrigerant flows passes through the connecting building and is arranged in the server room and the air-conditioning room.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to one embodiment, the expansion of a data center can be facilitated. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the overview of an information providing device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example configuration of an information providing device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 illustrates the changes in data volume. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the reliability determination process. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the pre-training process. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the information provision process. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a computer hardware configuration that functions as an information provision device. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the data center in plan view. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating the general layout of the container data building. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the data center according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing a data center according to the third embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] (First Embodiment) The present invention will be described below through embodiments, but these embodiments are not intended to limit the invention as defined in the claims. Furthermore, not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0010] The processing flow of the information provision device according to the embodiment will be explained using Figure 1. Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the overview of the information provision device according to the embodiment. Figure 1 shows the configuration of the information provision system 1, which includes the information provision device 10 according to the embodiment.

[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the information provision system 1 includes an information provision device 10, a data source provider 20, and a response recipient 30. The actual entities of the data source provider 20 are servers 20-1 for distributing information, user terminals 20-2 owned by users, vehicles 20-3 with autonomous driving functions, etc. Server 20-1 is a server managed by, for example, a newspaper company, a news agency, a broadcasting company, a publishing company, an online news provider, etc. Server 20-1 distributes information over the internet via a website or SNS (Social Networking Service). Furthermore, there may be, for example, a total of 1 trillion servers 20-1, user terminals 20-2, and vehicles 20-3 of the data source provider 20, and all of them may be plugged into the information provision device 10. In other words, the information provision device 10 acts as the brain, a so-called command center, collecting and learning information sent from all the chips installed in the 1 trillion data source providers 20. The information provision device 10 may be composed of multiple servers.

[0012] The response provider 30 is the recipient of answers to user questions using the language model provided by the information provider device 10. The actual entity of the response provider 30 is a user terminal 30-1 or a vehicle 30-2 with autonomous driving capabilities, etc.

[0013] As shown in Figure 1, the information providing device 10 obtains information about the provider from the data source provider 20 (step S1). The information about the provider includes attribute information of the recipient (business content, business scale, number of employees, number of registered members) and information such as the region in which the business is conducted.

[0014] Subsequently, the information providing apparatus 10 determines whether the destination satisfies the conditions regarding reliability based on the information about the source (step S2). For example, for a source whose business content is news distribution (newspaper company, news agency, broadcasting company, publishing company, online news provider), the information providing apparatus 10 determines that the conditions regarding reliability are satisfied. That is, the information providing apparatus 10 determines that the conditions regarding reliability are satisfied because the data source of the news article provided from a source whose business content is news distribution has a high reliability. Also, the information providing apparatus 10 determines that the conditions regarding reliability are satisfied for a source whose business scale is a certain level or more. The business scale is, for example, the number of news distributions (the number of issued copies for a newspaper company, the number of users to whom news is distributed for a news agency, the audience rating for a broadcasting company, the number of issued copies for a publishing company, the number of distributions or registered users for an online news provider, etc.). That is, the information providing apparatus 10 determines that the conditions regarding reliability are satisfied for a source to which a news article is distributed to a certain number of users or more.

[0015] Also, when the data source provider 20 is a device such as the user terminal 20-2 or the vehicle 20-3, the information providing apparatus 10 determines whether the manufacturer of the device satisfies the conditions regarding reliability. For example, the information providing apparatus 10 determines that the conditions regarding reliability are satisfied for a manufacturer whose sales amount is a certain level or more.

[0016] Subsequently, the information providing apparatus 10 permits a communication connection to the data source provider 20 that satisfies the conditions regarding reliability, and collects the data source from the data source provider 20 (step S3). Note that the information providing apparatus 10 and the data source provider 20 are communicatively connected by a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

[0017] The data source is data in the form of text, audio, images, etc. distributed by the server 20-1 of the data source provider 20. Also, the data source is the content (text, audio, images, etc.) posted by the user provided by the user terminal 20-2. The data source is the past movement route provided by the vehicle 20-3, the congestion status of roads and sidewalks during movement, the movement time required to reach the destination, the behavior of the vehicle 20-3 (such as accelerator, brake, steering, etc.) when moving to the destination, etc.

[0018] Based on the acquired data source, the information providing device 10 performs learning of the model. The model is a language model. As a language model, for example, ChatGPT of OpenAI is known (Reference: https: / / openai.com / blog / chatgpt). The language model may be a generative model such as GAN (Generative Adversarial Networks) or VAE (Variational Autoencoder) that uses a neural network.

[0019] In the present embodiment, the language model generates a text of an answer to the text of the query (hereinafter referred to as a prompt) input by the user. Also, the model is pre-learned using the data source. The learning of the model may be performed by a known machine learning method.

[0020] Thereby, the model can generate an answer based on the data source. For example, when the keyword "electric vehicle" is included in the prompt, the model can generate an answer based on news articles related to the keyword. In other words, through learning, the content of the news article affects the generation of the answer by the model.

[0021] In step S1, the information providing device 10 continuously acquires the data source. Therefore, the amount of the data source acquired by the information providing device 10 increases over time.

[0022] The information providing device 10 has two models, each using different data sources for learning. The two models are the standard model and the advanced model.

[0023] The information provider 10 learns two language models based on the data source (step S4). Specifically, the information provider 10 learns a standard model based on past data sources. In addition, the information provider 10 learns an advanced model based on current data sources.

[0024] Here, past data sources refer to data sources acquired up to a certain point in the past during a specific period before the model training takes place. For example, if the period is two years, and training takes place on "2023 / 6 / 22 16:05", then past data sources would be data sources acquired from the start of data source acquisition up to "2021 / 6 / 22 16:05".

[0025] On the other hand, the current data source is the data source acquired up to the time when the model is trained. For example, if training is performed at "2023 / 6 / 22 16:05", the current data source is the data source acquired from the start of data source acquisition until "2023 / 6 / 22 16:05".

[0026] The model training may occur every second, or even more frequently (for example, every nanosecond).

[0027] Here, the information provider 10 receives a prompt from the user, which will be input to the language model (step S5). Then, the information provider 10 generates a response to the prompt using a model that corresponds to the user's plan (step S6).

[0028] The user's prompt is sent to the information provider 10 via the response provider 30. The information provider 10 then sends the response to the response provider 30.

[0029] The information provider 10 provides answers as a service. The service has a higher-tier premium plan and a lower-tier freemium plan. The premium plan is a subscription that charges a fixed fee for a certain period (e.g., annually or monthly), or a pay-as-you-go plan where the fee is determined by usage. The freemium plan is a free plan. The freemium plan may be replaced with a plan that costs less than the premium plan (e.g., a basic plan).

[0030] The information provider 10 differentiates the quality of service for each plan based on the differences in the data used to train the model it employs. Specifically, if the user is subscribed to the premium plan, the information provider 10 generates answers using an advanced model. On the other hand, if the user is subscribed to the freemium plan, the information provider 10 generates answers using a standard model.

[0031] The information provider 10 provides the generated response to the user (step S7). The information provider 10 may also receive prompts and provide responses via a chat-style user interface. If the response recipient 30 is vehicle 30-2, the information provider 10 displays the response on a display (e.g., a navigation system) installed in vehicle 30-2. Alternatively, if the prompt is a request for automated driving to a destination, the information provider 10 controls the control device of vehicle 30-2 to perform automated driving.

[0032] Furthermore, if the user is subscribed to a premium plan, the information provider 10 may update the advanced model based on the latest data source and generate additional responses. This updated advanced model is called the real-time model. The information provider 10 may also provide additional responses generated using the real-time model.

[0033] The information provider 10 continuously acquires data sources and updates its language model during the period from generating the response to providing the generated response. By using a real-time model, the information provider 10 can generate a response that reflects the differences that occurred during this period.

[0034] Next, when the information provider 10 provides a user with an answer related to the data source, it pays a reward to the data source provider 20 of that data source (step S8). For example, the information provider 10 determines the content of the reward to be paid according to the number of times (or number of users) that an answer related to the data source has been provided. The information provider 10 may also differentiate the reward for provision via the standard model and provision via the advanced model. For example, the information provider 10 may make the reward for providing an answer related to the data source via the advanced model greater than the reward for providing it via the standard model.

[0035] In this way, the information providing device 10 can increase the reliability of the information it provides by collecting data sources only from data source providers 20 that meet the reliability requirements, thereby avoiding the inclusion of unreliable data sources in the language model's training.

[0036] Furthermore, in the information provision system 1, the information provision device 10 and the data source provider 20 (server 20-1, user terminal 20-2, and vehicle 20-3) incorporate semiconductor chips manufactured by the same company. These semiconductor chips may each perform machine learning or deep learning themselves.

[0037] Furthermore, the semiconductor chips used in the information provision device 10 and the data source provider 20 are sized to fit their respective enclosures. For example, assuming the chip size for the information provision device 10 is XL, L-sized chips are used for the server 20-1 and the vehicle 20-3, and S or M-sized chips are used for the user terminal 20-2. For the data source provider 20, which has an even smaller enclosure than the user terminal 20-2, SS-sized chips are used and integrated into a single chip within the SoC (System on a Chip). Note that the number of semiconductor chips for XL size is 200 tiles, L size is 50 tiles, M size is 20 tiles, S size is 10 tiles, and SS size is 2 tiles, but the number of tiles for each size is just an example and is not limited to the above. If it is desired to attach accessories such as a camera or microphone to the user terminal 20-2, a separate chip dedicated to the accessories may be set up in the empty space near the semiconductor chips within the SoC.

[0038] In this way, by using semiconductor chips from the same manufacturer in both the information providing device 10 and the data source provider 20, a closed system can be established between the two, thus maintaining a secure environment between them. In other words, hacking, virus infections, and deepfakes can be avoided with high precision between the information providing device 10 and the data source provider 20, while also ensuring privacy between them.

[0039] The configuration of the information providing device 10 will be explained using Figure 2. Figure 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the information providing device 10 according to this embodiment.

[0040] As shown in Figure 2, the information providing device 10 comprises a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13.

[0041] The communication unit 11 transmits and receives information with the data source provider 20 or the response recipient 30 via the network.

[0042] The memory unit 12 is implemented by semiconductor memory elements such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and flash memory, or by storage devices such as HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), and optical discs. Various programs and various data are stored in the memory unit 12. The memory unit 12 has user information 121, standard model information 122, advanced model information 123, and real-time model information 124.

[0043] User information 121 contains information about the plan each user is subscribed to. For example, user information 121 is information that associates the user's ID with a premium plan or a freemium plan.

[0044] Standard model information 122, advanced model information 123, and real-time model information 124 are information such as parameters for constructing the standard model, advanced model, and real-time model, respectively. Parameters for constructing the model include, for example, the weights and biases of the neural network. These parameters are updated during model training.

[0045] The control unit 13 is a controller and includes, for example, a microcomputer having a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM, input / output ports, and various circuits. Alternatively, the control unit 13 may be composed of hardware such as an integrated circuit (ASIC) or FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The control unit 13 includes an acquisition unit 31, a determination unit 32, a collection unit 33, a generation unit 34, a provision unit 35, and a supply unit 36.

[0046] The acquisition unit 31 acquires information about the provider from the data source provider 20. The information about the provider includes attribute information of the recipient (business content, business scale, number of employees, number of registered members) and information such as the region in which the business is conducted.

[0047] The determination unit 32 determines whether the recipient meets the reliability criteria based on information about the provider. For example, the determination unit 32 determines that providers whose business is news distribution (newspaper companies, news agencies, broadcasters, publishers, and online news providers) meet the reliability criteria. In other words, the determination unit 32 determines that the data source of news articles provided by providers whose business is news distribution is highly reliable and therefore meets the reliability criteria. The determination unit 32 also determines that providers with a certain level of business scale meet the reliability criteria. Business scale refers to, for example, the number of news distributions (circulation for newspapers, number of users for news agencies, viewership ratings for broadcasters, circulation for publishers, number of distributions or registered users for online news providers, etc.). In other words, the determination unit 32 determines that providers whose news articles are distributed to a certain number of users or more meet the reliability criteria.

[0048] Furthermore, if the data source provider 20 is equipment such as a user terminal 20-2 or a vehicle 20-3, the determination unit 32 determines whether the equipment manufacturer meets the reliability requirements. For example, the determination unit 32 determines that manufacturers with sales above a certain level meet the reliability requirements.

[0049] The collection unit 33 collects data sources from data source providers 20 that the determination unit 32 has determined to meet the reliability criteria. The collection unit 33 stores the collected data sources in the storage unit 12. Furthermore, the collection unit 33 continuously collects data sources asynchronously with the operation of other processing units. That is, the collection unit 33 continues to collect data sources asynchronously with processes such as model training, response generation, and response provision.

[0050] The amount of data stored in the storage unit 12 by the collection unit 33 changes over time, as shown in Figure 3. Figure 3 illustrates the change in the amount of data.

[0051] The horizontal axis in Figure 3 represents time (time). The vertical axis in Figure 3 represents the amount of data. The amount of data at the current time t2 is v2. The amount of data at time t1, which is a period T earlier than time t2, is v1. Also, v1 is smaller than v2.

[0052] Furthermore, the advanced model is trained at time t2, and the time at which the answer is generated using the trained advanced model is defined as t2+Δt. Since the data collection unit 33 continues to collect data, the amount of data increases by Δv during the period Δt.

[0053] The generation unit 34 generates language models. Specifically, the generation unit 34 generates a standard model and an advanced model. Specifically, the generation unit 34 learns two language models based on the data source. Specifically, the generation unit 34 learns the standard model based on past data sources. In addition, the generation unit 34 learns the advanced model based on the current data source.

[0054] Furthermore, the generation unit 34 updates the model parameters through learning. The generation unit 34 may regenerate the model at each learning stage, or it may reflect the data source of the difference from the previous learning stage into the model.

[0055] Furthermore, the generation unit 34 determines the reliability of the data sources collected from the provider and decides whether or not to use them for training the language model based on the reliability. For example, the generation unit 34 analyzes the content of the data source (text analysis, speech analysis, image analysis) and prohibits the use of the data source for training the language model if there is a possibility that the content of the data source is false.

[0056] The provisioning unit 35 uses the generated language model to generate and provide responses to prompts received from the user.

[0057] The service provider 35 refers to the user information 121 and determines the user's plan. The service provider 35 determines whether the user is subscribed to a premium plan or a freemium plan.

[0058] The providing unit 35 inputs prompts to the language model and generates responses. The providing unit 35 generates responses to prompts input by the user using one of several language models, each with a different amount of data source used for training. For example, the providing unit 35 generates responses using either a standard model or an advanced model.

[0059] The providing unit 35 provides the user with the answer generated by the language model, along with information indicating the source of the data source used to train the language model used to generate the answer. For example, the providing unit 35 displays an information provision screen on the user's terminal. For example, the providing unit 35 may receive prompts and provide answers via a chat-style user interface. Also, if the answer recipient 30 is vehicle 30-2, the providing unit 35 displays the answer on a display (e.g., a navigation device) mounted on vehicle 30-2. Alternatively, if the prompt is a request for automated driving to a destination, the providing unit 35 controls the control device of vehicle 30-2 to perform automated driving.

[0060] The payment unit 36 ​​pays a reward to the data source provider 20 of a data source when it provides a user with an answer related to that data source. For example, the payment unit 36 ​​determines the content of the reward to be paid according to the number of times (or number of users) an answer related to the data source has been provided. The payment unit 36 ​​may also differentiate the reward between provision via the standard model and provision via the advanced model. For example, the payment unit 36 ​​may make the reward for providing an answer related to a data source via the advanced model higher than the reward for providing it via the standard model.

[0061] Figure 4 will be used to explain the reliability determination process. Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the reliability determination process.

[0062] As shown in Figure 4, the information providing device 10 obtains information about the data source provider 20 (step S101).

[0063] Next, the information providing device 10 determines whether or not the reliability conditions are met based on the information about the provider (step S102).

[0064] If the reliability conditions are met (Step S102: Yes), the information providing device 10 accepts the data source as a provider (Step S103) and terminates processing. On the other hand, if the reliability conditions are not met (Step S102: No), the information providing device 10 does not accept the data source as a provider and terminates processing.

[0065] Figure 5 illustrates the pre-training process. Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating the pre-training process.

[0066] As shown in Figure 5, the information providing device 10 continuously acquires data sources (step S201). Next, the information providing device 10 determines whether or not it is time to generate a model (step S202).

[0067] If it is not the model generation timing (step S202: No), the information providing device 10 returns to step S201 and continues to acquire data sources. On the other hand, if it is the model generation timing (step S202: Yes), the information providing device 10 proceeds to step S203.

[0068] The information providing device 10 trains a standard model using past data sources for a certain period (step S203). The information providing device 10 also trains an advanced model using data sources up to the present (step S204). For example, the information providing device 10 trains an advanced model using data sources up to the present and trains a standard model using data sources up to two years ago.

[0069] The flow of the information provision process will be explained using Figure 6. Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of the information provision process. The information provision device 10 can execute the pre-training process and the information provision process in parallel.

[0070] As shown in Figure 6, the information providing device 10 continuously acquires data sources (step S301). The information providing device 10 determines whether or not there is an inquiry from the user (step S302).

[0071] If there is no inquiry from the user (step S302: No), the information providing device 10 returns to step S301 and continues to acquire data sources. On the other hand, if there is an inquiry from the user (step S302: Yes), the information providing device 10 determines the user's plan (step S303).

[0072] If the user's plan is a freemium plan (step S303: freemium), the information provider 10 proceeds to step S304. On the other hand, if the user's plan is a premium plan (step S303: premium), the information provider 10 proceeds to step S306.

[0073] In step S304, the information provider 10 inputs the inquiry details into the standard model and generates a response. The information provider 10 then provides the generated response to the user (step S305). The information provider 10 then pays a reward to the provider of the data source related to the response (step S311) and terminates the process.

[0074] In step S306, the information providing device 10 inputs the inquiry details into the advanced model and generates a response. Then, the information providing device 10 provides the generated response to the user (step S307).

[0075] Furthermore, the information providing device 10 updates the advanced model using the latest data source (step S308). The information providing device 10 inputs the inquiry content into the updated advanced model (real-time model) and generates a response (step S309). The information providing device 10 provides the generated response to the user (step S310).

[0076] According to this embodiment, by partnering with companies generally recognized as excellent companies and using such companies as data source providers, the reliability of a service that provides answers using language models can be enhanced.

[0077] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, general answers can be provided to individual free members through a freemium plan, and highly accurate answers can be provided to individual paid members, companies, government agencies, and other public institutions through a premium plan.

[0078] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a computer hardware configuration that functions as an information providing device 10. A program installed on the computer 1200 can cause the computer 1200 to function as one or more "parts" of the device according to this embodiment, or to cause the computer 1200 to execute operations associated with the device according to this embodiment or such one or more "parts", and / or to cause the computer 1200 to execute a process or a stage of such process according to this embodiment. Such a program may be executed by the CPU 1212 to cause the computer 1200 to execute specific operations associated with some or all of the blocks in the flowcharts and block diagrams described herein.

[0079] The computer 1200 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 1212, RAM 1214, and a graphics controller 1216, which are interconnected by a host controller 1210. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a communication interface 1222, a storage device 1224, a DVD drive, and an IC card drive, which are connected to the host controller 1210 via an input / output controller 1220. The DVD drive may be a DVD-ROM drive and a DVD-RAM drive, etc. The storage device 1224 may be a hard disk drive and a solid-state drive, etc. The computer 1200 also includes input / output units such as a ROM 1230 and a keyboard, which are connected to the input / output controller 1220 via an input / output chip 1240.

[0080] The CPU 1212 operates according to the programs stored in the ROM 1230 and RAM 1214, thereby controlling each unit. The graphics controller 1216 acquires the image data generated by the CPU 1212 and stores it in the frame buffer provided in RAM 1214 or within itself, so that the image data is displayed on the display device 1218.

[0081] The communication interface 1222 communicates with other electronic devices via a network. The storage device 1224 stores programs and data used by the CPU 1212 in the computer 1200. The DVD drive reads programs or data from a DVD-ROM or the like and provides them to the storage device 1224. The IC card drive reads programs and data from an IC card and / or writes programs and data to an IC card.

[0082] The ROM 1230 stores boot programs and / or hardware-dependent programs of the computer 1200, which are executed by the computer 1200 upon activation. The input / output chip 1240 may also connect various input / output units to the input / output controller 1220 via USB ports, parallel ports, serial ports, keyboard ports, mouse ports, etc.

[0083] The program is provided on a computer-readable storage medium such as a DVD-ROM or IC card. The program is read from the computer-readable storage medium and installed on a storage device 1224, RAM 1214, or ROM 1230, which are examples of computer-readable storage media, and executed by the CPU 1212. The information processing described within these programs is read by the computer 1200, resulting in coordination between the program and the various types of hardware resources described above. The apparatus or method may be configured to realize the operation or processing of information in accordance with the use of the computer 1200.

[0084] For example, when communication is performed between a computer 1200 and an external device, the CPU 1212 may execute a communication program loaded into RAM 1214 and, based on the processing described in the communication program, instruct the communication interface 1222 to perform communication processing. Under the control of the CPU 1212, the communication interface 1222 reads transmission data stored in a transmission buffer area provided in a recording medium such as RAM 1214, storage device 1224, DVD-ROM, or IC card, transmits the read transmission data to the network, or writes received data received from the network to a reception buffer area provided on the recording medium.

[0085] Furthermore, the CPU 1212 may read all or necessary parts of a file or database stored on an external recording medium such as the storage device 1224, a DVD drive (DVD-ROM), or an IC card into the RAM 1214, and perform various types of processing on the data in the RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may then write the processed data back to the external recording medium.

[0086] Various types of information, such as various types of programs, data, tables, and databases, may be stored on the recording medium and subjected to information processing. The CPU 1212 may perform various types of processing on the data read from RAM 1214, including various types of operations, information processing, conditional judgments, conditional branching, unconditional branching, information retrieval / replacement, etc., as described throughout this disclosure and specified by the program instruction sequence, and write the results back to RAM 1214. The CPU 1212 may also retrieve information in files, databases, etc., within the recording medium. For example, if multiple entries are stored in the recording medium, each having an attribute value of a first attribute associated with an attribute value of a second attribute, the CPU 1212 may search among the multiple entries for an entry that matches the specified condition for the attribute value of the first attribute, read the attribute value of the second attribute stored in that entry, and thereby obtain the attribute value of the second attribute associated with the first attribute that satisfies the predetermined condition.

[0087] The program or software module described above may be stored on or near the computer 1200 in a computer-readable storage medium. Alternatively, a recording medium such as a hard disk or RAM provided within a server system connected to a dedicated communication network or the Internet can be used as a computer-readable storage medium, thereby providing the program to the computer 1200 via the network.

[0088] In this embodiment, blocks in the flowchart and block diagram may represent a stage in a process in which an operation is performed or a "part" of a device that has the role of performing an operation. A particular stage and "part" may be implemented by a dedicated circuit, a programmable circuit supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, and / or a processor supplied with computer-readable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The dedicated circuit may include digital and / or analog hardware circuits, and may include integrated circuits (ICs) and / or discrete circuits. The programmable circuit may include reconfigurable hardware circuits, such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and programmable logic arrays (PLAs), which include logical AND, logical OR, exclusive OR, negated AND, negated OR, and other logical operations, flip-flops, registers, and memory elements.

[0089] A computer-readable storage medium may include any tangible device capable of storing instructions to be executed by a suitable device, and as a result, a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein will comprise a product that includes instructions that can be executed to create means for performing operations specified in a flowchart or block diagram. Examples of computer-readable storage media may include electronic storage media, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, electromagnetic storage media, semiconductor storage media, etc. More specific examples of computer-readable storage media may include floppy disks, diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital multipurpose disc (DVD), Blu-ray® disc, memory stick, integrated circuit card, etc.

[0090] Computer-readable instructions may include assembler instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state setting data, or source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk®, Java®, C++, and traditional procedural programming languages ​​such as the C programming language or similar languages.

[0091] Computer-readable instructions may be provided to a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or a programmable circuit, either locally or via a wide area network (WAN) such as a local area network (LAN) or the internet, so that the computer-readable instructions may be executed by the processor or programmable circuit of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, in order to generate means for performing operations specified in a flowchart or block diagram. Examples of processors include computer processors, processing units, microprocessors, digital signal processors, controllers, microcontrollers, and the like.

[0092] In the above-described information provision system 1, for example, the information provision device 10 (server device) and the server 20-1 (server device) of the data source provider 20 are located in a data center. Multiple information provision devices 10 and multiple servers 20-1 are located in the data center in order to process a vast amount of information. Specifically, a large number of information provision devices 10 and a large number of servers 20-1 are located in the data center. Therefore, a large number of chips are installed in the data center. For example, a data center is equipped with approximately 1 million chips. The information provision devices 10 and servers 20-1 located in the data center are connected to each other.

[0093] The data center 100 is provided as shown in Figure 8. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the data center 100. Figure 8 is a schematic plan view of the data center 100.

[0094] The data center 100 comprises multiple container data buildings 101, multiple connecting buildings 102, and multiple clean rooms 103.

[0095] The container data building 101 is formed in a box shape. It is desirable that the container data building 101 be of a size that facilitates installation. For example, the container data building 101 may be small enough to be transported by vehicle or the like in its assembled state.

[0096] Some of the multiple container data buildings 101 are arranged in a straight line. The container data buildings 101 arranged in a straight line are positioned along the longitudinal direction of the container data buildings 101.

[0097] Furthermore, some of the multiple container data buildings 101 are arranged in a direction that intersects with the direction in which the container data buildings 101 are arranged in a straight line. For example, some of the multiple container data buildings 101 are arranged in parallel with the container data buildings 101 that are arranged in a straight line.

[0098] As shown in Figure 9, the container data building 101 comprises a server room 110, an air conditioning room 111, and a passageway 112. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the container data building 101.

[0099] For example, the server room 110 may be equipped with multiple servers 20-1. The server room 110 may also be equipped with multiple information providing devices 10.

[0100] The air conditioning room 111 is located above the server room 110. The air conditioning room 111 is equipped with an air conditioning unit 111a and air conditioning piping 111b. The air conditioning unit 111a is a device that controls the temperature and humidity of the server room 110. The air conditioning unit 111a circulates air (refrigerant) with adjusted temperature and humidity to the server room 110 via the air conditioning piping 111b. The server room 110 and servers 20-1, etc., may have their temperatures regulated by a refrigerant such as cooling water. The air conditioning room 111 may also be equipped with a temperature control device that adjusts the temperature of the refrigerant.

[0101] Returning to Figure 8, the connecting building 102 is located between the container data buildings 101. The connecting building 102 is smaller than the container data buildings 101. For example, the connecting building 102 is assembled by a factory. The connecting building 102 connects the container data buildings 101. The connecting building 102 may also house servers 20-1, etc. The connecting building 102 comprises a first connecting building 120 and a second connecting building 130.

[0102] The first connecting building 120 connects the container data buildings 101 which are arranged in a straight line. The first connecting building 120 connects two container data buildings 101 which are arranged in a straight line. The first connecting building 120 is provided with a connecting passage 120a. The connecting passage 120a communicates with the passage 112 of the container data building 101.

[0103] The second connecting building 130 connects container data buildings 101 that are arranged in a direction intersecting the direction in which the container data buildings 101 are arranged in a straight line. In other words, the second connecting building 130 connects container data buildings 101 that are arranged in a direction intersecting the direction of connection by the first connecting building 120. The second connecting building 130 connects the container data buildings 101 so that multiple container data buildings 101 are connected in a serpentine shape. The second connecting building 130 is provided with a connecting passage 130a. The connecting passage 130a communicates with the passage 112 of the container data building 101.

[0104] The cleanroom 103 is connected to the end of the container data building 101 that is not connected to the connecting building 102. Specifically, the cleanroom 103 is connected to the end of the container data building 101, which is located at the serpentine tip. In other words, the data center 100 has the cleanroom 103 at the serpentine tip.

[0105] In data center 100, multiple container data buildings 101, the first connecting building 120, and the second connecting building 130 are configured to communicate with each other via passage 112, connecting passage 120a, and connecting passage 130a. In other words, the multiple container data buildings 101, the first connecting building 120, and the second connecting building 130 are connected by a single cable.

[0106] Therefore, in data center 100, for example, when bringing in equipment or performing maintenance, it is possible to move within data center 100 without having to go outside data center 100. For example, transport robots and work robots used in data center 100 can be moved within data center 100 without having to go outside data center 100, allowing them to perform various transport and various tasks.

[0107] Furthermore, in the data center 100, for example, backplane cables and optical fibers can be placed between each container data building 101 via the first connecting building 120 and the second connecting building 130, without being placed outside the data center 100. In other words, cables connecting each container data building 101 can be placed without being brought outside the container data building 101.

[0108] Furthermore, in the data center 100, the air conditioning piping 111b can be routed between each container data building 101 via the first connecting building 120 and the second connecting building 130 without having to extend the piping outside the data center 100.

[0109] In data center 100, expansion (addition) can be easily achieved by connecting the container data building 101 using the first connecting building 120 and the second connecting building 130. The construction and expansion of data center 100 may be carried out by construction robots.

[0110] The data center 100 comprises multiple container data buildings 101, each containing multiple servers 20-1, and a connecting building 102 located between the container data buildings 101 to link them together.

[0111] This allows for easy expansion of the data center 100 when it is needed, by connecting the additional container data building 101 to the existing data center 100 using the connecting building 102.

[0112] The connecting building 102 comprises a first connecting building 120 that connects container data buildings 101 arranged in a straight line, and a second connecting building 130 that connects container data buildings 101 arranged in a direction intersecting the direction of connection by the first connecting building 120. The second connecting building 130 connects the container data buildings 101 so that multiple container data buildings 101 are connected in a serpentine shape.

[0113] This allows for efficient use of the land on which data center 100 is located when expanding data center 100, making expansion easier.

[0114] The first connecting building 120 is equipped with a connecting passage 120a that communicates with the passage 112 of the container data building 101. The second connecting building 130 is equipped with a connecting passage 130a that communicates with the passage 112 of the container data building 101.

[0115] As a result, the passages 112 of the multiple container data buildings 101 are connected by connecting passages 120a and 130a. Therefore, each building of the data center 100 is connected by a single pathway, and work robots and the like can move between buildings without having to leave the data center 100.

[0116] The data center 100 comprises multiple container data buildings 101, each containing multiple servers 20-1, etc.; connecting buildings 102 located between the container data buildings 101 to connect them; and a clean room 103 connected to the end of the container data building 101 that is not connected to the connecting building 102.

[0117] This allows for easy expansion of the data center 100 by connecting the additional container data building 101 to the existing data center 100 using the connecting building 102, without increasing the number of clean rooms 103.

[0118] Cleanroom 103 is connected to the end of container data building 101, which is located at the serpentine tip.

[0119] This ensures the cleanliness of the air in the serpentine-shaped container data building 101.

[0120] The connecting building 102 may have bolted connection parts that protrude outward, allowing for easy bolting to the container data building 101 from the outside. The connecting building 102 may have a configuration that allows it to absorb displacements such as uneven ground, for example, by using interlocking grooves similar to those used in train couplings. For example, the connecting building 102 may be equipped with a displacement absorption mechanism such as a rubber gasket. This allows for the absorption of displacements in units of 2 millimeters. The displacement absorption mechanism functions as auxiliary equipment for tightening bolts and for accurately positioning the container data building 101.

[0121] The connecting building 102 should preferably be waterproof and dustproof. This will prevent it from being affected by harsh environments such as heavy rain and dust. The connecting building 102 may be used as a parking area for work robots, a charging station, or a maintenance area for work robots.

[0122] The connecting building 102 may be expandable or contractible. For example, by inflating the connecting building 102, it can be used as a warehousing for a work robot or as a buffer for the server 20-1.

[0123] (Second Embodiment) The connecting building of the data center 100 according to the second embodiment is configured to cover the ends of the server room 110 and the air conditioning room 111, as shown in Figure 10. Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing a part of the data center 100 according to the second embodiment. The connecting building 102 is configured to allow air conditioning piping 111b to pass through the server room 110 and the air conditioning room 111. That is, the air conditioning piping 111b passes through the connecting building 102 and is arranged to connect the server room 110 and the air conditioning room 111. The connecting building 102 may also be arranged to connect the air conditioning piping 111b between adjacent container data buildings 101.

[0124] The data center 100 allows for efficient connection of air conditioning piping 111b between the server room 110 and the air conditioning room 111 via the connecting building 102, simplifying the construction and maintenance of the cooling system. The data center 100 enables integrated operation of the cooling system within the data center 100, achieving efficient temperature control. The data center 100 can be easily expanded when necessary.

[0125] The server room 110 and the air conditioning room 111 may be provided as separate units. For example, the server room 110 and the air conditioning room 111 may be provided as different container buildings. That is, the container building for the server room 110 and the container building for the air conditioning room 111 may be stacked vertically.

[0126] (Third embodiment) In the third embodiment, the first connecting building 120 of the data center 100 connects container data buildings 101 that are arranged adjacent to each other in a linear arrangement, as shown in Figure 11. In other words, the first connecting building 120 connects container data buildings 101 that are arranged adjacent to each other in a parallel manner along the longitudinal direction of the container data buildings 101. Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing the data center 100 according to the third embodiment.

[0127] For example, the first connecting building 120 connects container data buildings 101 arranged in a straight line, and container data buildings 101 arranged adjacent to each other in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the container data buildings 101.

[0128] Furthermore, the second connecting building 130 connects container data buildings 101 that are arranged adjacent to each other in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the container data building 101, and container data buildings 101 that are arranged separately in parallel along the longitudinal direction of the container data building 101. In other words, both ends of multiple container data buildings 101 arranged in a straight line (longitudinal direction) are connected by the second connecting building 130. Note that the air conditioning piping 111b (see Figure 10) is the same as in the second embodiment.

[0129] The data center 100 can connect adjacent container data buildings 101 in parallel along their longitudinal direction using a first connecting building 120. By connecting adjacent container data buildings 101 with the first connecting building 120, wiring and piping connections in adjacent container data buildings 101 can be easily made. When expanding the data center 100, the data center 100 can be easily expanded.

[0130] Furthermore, the data center 100 can connect container data buildings 101 that are arranged in parallel and separated from each other along the longitudinal direction of the container data buildings 101. By connecting the container data buildings 101 that are arranged in parallel and separated from each other with the second connecting building 130, wiring and piping connections can be easily made between adjacent container data buildings 101.

[0131] The data center 100 can connect container data buildings 101 arranged in parallel by the first connecting building 120 and the second connecting building 130. By connecting container data buildings 101 that are adjacent to each other in parallel, and container data buildings 101 that are spaced apart in parallel, with the first connecting building 120 and the second connecting building 130, wiring and piping connections in the container data buildings 101 arranged in parallel can be easily made.

[0132] Multiple container data buildings 101 may be stacked vertically. The first connecting building 120 and the second connecting building 130 may connect the vertically stacked container data buildings 101. Alternatively, multiple container buildings for server rooms 110 may be stacked vertically, and the first connecting building 120 and the second connecting building 130 may connect the vertically stacked container buildings for server rooms 110 and the container buildings for air conditioning rooms 111.

[0133] The above embodiments can be combined and applied as appropriate. For example, by combining the second and third embodiments, container data buildings 101 arranged in a straight line, i.e., in series, container data buildings 101 arranged in parallel, and stacked container data buildings 101 may be connected by a first connecting building 120 and a second connecting building 130.

[0134] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It will be clear from the claims that such modified or improved forms may also be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0135] It should be noted that the execution order of operations, procedures, steps, and stages in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not explicitly stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that these can be implemented in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a later process. Even if the operation flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using phrases such as "first," "next," etc. for convenience, it does not mean that it is essential to perform the operations in that order. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0136] 10. Information provision device (server device) 20-1 Server (Server device) 100 data centers 101 Container Data Building 102 Connecting building 103 Cleanroom 110 Server Room 111 Air conditioned room 112 Passage 120 1st connection building 120a Connecting passage 130 2nd connection building 130a Connecting passage

Claims

1. Multiple container data buildings where multiple server devices are installed, A connecting building is provided between the container data buildings and connects the container data buildings. Equipped with, The aforementioned container data building is A server room where the aforementioned multiple server devices are located, An air conditioning room where a temperature control device for adjusting the temperature of the server room is located, Equipped with, A data center in which air conditioning piping connected to the temperature control device and carrying refrigerant passes through the connecting building and is arranged to connect the server room and the air conditioning room.

2. The data center according to claim 1, wherein the connecting building connects the container data buildings arranged in a straight line.

3. The data center according to claim 1, wherein the connecting building connects the container data buildings which are arranged adjacent to each other in parallel with respect to the longitudinal direction of the container data buildings.

4. The data center according to claim 1, wherein the connecting building is provided with a connecting passage that communicates with the passage of the container data building.

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