Part I – READING COMPREHENSION (A)

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions in English. (35 points) קראו את הקטע שלפניכם וענו על השאלות שאחריו באנגלית. اقرأ القطعة التي أمامك وأجب عن الأسئلة التي تليها بالإنجليزية.

Underwater Data Centers

I Every year, people use more and more apps and artificial intelligence. These technologies depend on very large data centers. A data center is a building with big computers that provide internet connection, run software programs, and store information. The equipment in a data center heats up quickly and as a result can become damaged. To prevent this, cooling systems are installed. The 5 cooling systems are effective, but they are expensive because they use a lot of electricity. In addition, they pollute the environment because their electricity comes from fuels such as oil and coal.

II Recently, several companies have tried a new idea: putting data centers underwater. The data center is built inside a special capsule*, and the capsule is put underwater in the ocean. The cold water cools the data center, and as a result, it does not need a cooling system. This reduces electricity use. 10 Another advantage of putting data centers in the ocean is that many people live in big cities near the coast, so these nearby data centers can provide faster internet connections for them.

*capsule קפסולה كبسولة

III In 2015, Microsoft put a small data capsule into the ocean near California. After four months, engineers took the capsule out of the ocean and tested it. They saw that the equipment was in good condition. In 2018, Microsoft did another experiment. They put a bigger data capsule into the ocean 15 near Scotland. This second data center used clean energy sources and so did not pollute the ocean. After two years, the engineers took it out of the water and saw that the equipment was in good condition. This was because the ocean water kept the equipment very cool, so it was not damaged.

IV However, the ocean may not be suitable for very big data centers. Maintaining a lot of equipment in a big underwater center can be very expensive, and it is not easy to build capsules that are large 20 enough to protect large amounts of equipment underwater. Engineers need to solve these problems before the world’s data centers can be moved underwater.

Adapted from: https://brightlio.com/underwater-data-centers

Answer the following questions in English. (35 points) ענו על השאלות הבאות באנגלית. أجب عن الأسئلة التالية بالإنجليزية