Google’s data centers use half the energy of a typical data center in part because we rely on free cooling rather than energy hungry mechanical chillers. In Douglas County, like at most of our facilities, we use evaporative cooling, which brings cold water into the data center to cool the servers, then releases it as water vapor through cooling towers.

Have a look for yourself:

It’s pretty cool that the pipes they use are painted with Google colors.

Nokia’s Chief Technical Officer Rich Green is reported to have resigned from his position at the Finnish mobile giant, taking leave “for personal reasons”, HS.fi reports.

The Nokia Group Executive Board member’s leave has been confirmed by Nokia, saying it was due to medical reasons, but the company has refrained from detailing the length of his absence or the reasons behind it.

With Nokia quiet on Green’s decision, two independent sources have said that Green’s leave will last at least until the end of the year, with it highly likely that he will not return to Nokia thereafter.

Nokia has said that Henry Tirri, head of Nokia Research Center, will become acting Chief Technology Officer replacing Richard Green:

“Rich Green is taking a medical leave for absence. During this time Henry Tirri, head of Nokia Research Center, will be the acting CTO.”

Green was highly regarded for his understanding of software technology, before he joined Nokia he worked as the CTO of software development company Sun Microsystems.

With Nokia criticised for its dedication to the Symbian operating system, Green’s decision to leave the vendor could have been assisted when the company decided to move away from the co-development of the MeeGo platform, an operating system that Green is reported to have liked to continue developing.

Nokia’s decision to abandon MeeGo came after the company signed a deal with Microsoft to incorporate Windows Phone into its devices.

Europe is expected to experience strong  growth as tech spending recovers around the world.

Reuters reports that the tough year experienced by the global technology industry during  2009 will be eclipsed during 2010 as spending looks set to increase by 8.1%.

The Forrester report cited points to trillion dollar growth around the world over the next 12 months, with Europe at the forefront of the recovery, as Europe benefits from the US dollar’s decline against the Euro.

European investment in clean technology is also strengthening when compared to the US, and whilst 2009 recorded a decline of 12% in a sector which attracts environmental finance, that is set against a fall of 42% in North America.

EurActiv suggests that this surge in clean and green tech investment across Europe, offers some hope following the disappointment of the limited climate agreements reached at the Copenhagen summit.

Venture investors across Europe are favouring solar tech, closely followed by transportation and energy efficiency.

photo : 1suisse (cc)