Need any more proof it’s not your father’s internet anymore? This just in, from ZDnet – Microsoft is populating the new data centers it’s been heavily investing in lately not by the rack full of servers, but by the (wait for it…) shipping container full of servers. That’s right, trucks pull up and unload a shipping container chock full of pre-configured, pre-networked servers. Connect power and air conditioning to the shipping container, and you’ve just brought a serious amount of additional server capacity online. Enough failures, and the container is shipped out for repair.

Also from the ZDnet article, an astounding statistic: it’s unclear how many are additional and how many are replacements, but Microsoft adds approximately 10,000 server per month.
Ten. Thousand. Servers. Per. Month.

What’s behind numbers like that? In addition to web search, it also reflects Microsoft’s move towards a more vertically integrated approach towards cloud computing – and there’s not only Hotmail/MSN, but there’s also the recently launched (Google Apps competitor) Online Suite with hosted Exchange (rather than just sell the software, Microsoft clearly feels there’s a future in selling the service as well).

Another reason for the big push is the anticipated explosion of media over IP – as Microsoft’s general manager of infrastructure Arne Josefsberg puts it, “One of the big drivers for us that I see is the move to IP-based delivery of rich video.”

Besides insanely quick scalability, it should be noted that the shipping container scheme allows for more efficient cooling – and Microsoft is also working closely with its hardware vendors to eliminate all unnecessary ports and motherboard circuitry to further reduce power consumption. More on Microsoft’s green data centers here. Kudos.