Microsoft is opening a half-billion dollar datacenter in…Siberia!

<jokes begin>
-So this is how you plan on getting away from all the Google questions?
-Is this where the Microsoft employees that misbehave will be stationed?
-If you’re trying to sweep aside the ‘Evil Empire’ image, building a base where a James Bond villain might is probably not the best idea.
</jokes end>

In all seriousness though, I agree with LiveSide.net that this move is probably a strategic play to move physically closer to China and its billion-plus potential users. I also have to agree that it’s probably a lot easier to cool a datacenter in Siberia than it is in somewhere like Texas.

I’m still going to keep a look out for a new villainous corporation in James Bond 22 next November…MSFT the new SPECTRE? It doesn’t help that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer slightly resembles Ernst Blofeld – or Dr. Evil for those younger readers.

(no offense if anyone is actually living in Siberia, I don’t mean you are evil, your home just seems ripe to be an evil lair)