Interview: Project Natick leader, Microsoft's Ben Cutler

Loading player...
In this episode of the podcast, Duncan McLeod interviews Ben Cutler, the head of Microsoft’s Project Natick, a research project to determine the feasibility of building subsea data centres.
Cutler and a team from Microsoft have deployed a subsea data centre in the north of Scotland, which they are using to ascertain whether building submarine data centres makes practical and financial sense.
In the podcast, Cutler explains where the idea came from, the two phases of the project so far, what Microsoft has learnt and where the project is going.
The Scottish test facility is powered entirely by renewable energy and the idea is that future sites could tap into energy harvested from the waves.
Cutler explains the costs involved, what the test facility is being used for and the mechanics involved in deploying computing resources.
Don’t miss this fascinating discussion!
5 Sep 2018 English South Africa Technology · Business

Other recent episodes

TCS | Werner Lindemann on how AI is rewriting the infosec rulebook

The pace at which artificial intelligence is reshaping the threat landscape is outstripping the ability of most organisations to defend themselves, with shadow AI, synthetic identity attacks and a looming quantum computing disruption all converging at once. That’s the view of DataGroupIT CEO Werner Lindemann, who joined Duncan McLeod on…
15 Apr 38 min

TCS | Donovan Marsh on AI and the future of filmmaking

Award-winning South African film director Donovan Marsh has pivoted to artificial intelligence filmmaking and believes generative AI tools could fundamentally reshape how movies are made – and who gets to make them. Marsh, whose 30-year career includes directing the Hollywood submarine thriller Hunter Killer starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman,…
7 Apr 52 min

TCS+ | Vodacom Business moves to crack the SME tech gap

Everyone agrees that small and medium enterprises are the backbone of the South African economy. But the reality on the ground tells a different story – too many small businesses are still running on spreadsheets and WhatsApp, locked out of the tools that could help them compete. In this episode…
5 Apr 34 min

TCS | MTN’s Divyesh Joshi on the strategy behind Pi

MTN South Africa has launched Pi, a digital-only mobile operator that runs on MTN’s network but operates as a standalone brand, offering contract-free mobile and home 5G connectivity through a single app, with no call centres, no credit checks and no lock-in. In this episode of the TechCentral Show, TechCentral…
1 Apr 21 min

TCS | Anoosh Rooplal on the Post Office’s last stand

The South African Post Office has been in business rescue – a form of bankruptcy protection – since July 2023. Business rescue practitioners Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Damons have made it clear to parliament that the entity will not survive liquidation unless a R3.8-billion bailout is received soon. With some…
27 Mar 27 min