Did you know about the relationship between Google and LEGO(R) bricks?
There’s hardly anyone left who doesn’t know about the internet giant, “Google.” It’s almost inconceivable to imagine life without Google’s services.
Google was founded as a private company on September 27, 1998, and it has since experienced rapid growth. As of 2023, it’s safe to say that Google has achieved a level of influence that could be described as “world domination.”
But did you know?
“Google’s very first server was made out of LEGO(R)Bricks!”
And not just any LEGO(R) bricks, but DUPLO!
What Did the Actual Server Look Like?
Back in 1996, when Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page were students at Stanford University, they assembled a server by connecting ten 4GB hard drives. What makes this unique is that they used LEGO(R) DUPLO bricks.
The image below shows how this LEGO(R) DUPLO server was displayed underground at Stanford University’s Gates Computer Science Building from 2003 to 2010.
By the way, the “Gates” in “Gates Science” is named after Bill Gates, who donated $6 million as construction funding for the building.
©Stanford University
Permanent Exhibition at Stanford University
Since 2010, it has been permanently exhibited in another building on campus, the Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center.
Isn’t it surprising to think that all of Google began with this tiny LEGO(R) DUPLO server?
©Stanford University
Why Did They Choose LEGO(R) DUPLO?
The exact reason why the two founders of Google chose LEGO(R) DUPLO for building their first server remains elusive, but it might have been due to its larger size and ease of handling. They would have likely been able to assemble a server rack in a shorter time using LEGO(R) DUPLO bricks compared to regular-sized LEGO(R) bricks.
Did They Play with It as Kids?
Considering their exceptional abilities, there’s a high probability that they played with a large quantity of LEGO(R) bricks, including LEGO DUPLO, during their childhood. It’s possible that they kept them at home rather than discarding them.
If they were considering acquiring a large quantity of DUPLO for server rack assembly, even second-hand pieces might not have been particularly cheap.
Concluding Thoughts
Whether they already had LEGO® bricks or acquired them specifically for building the server, it’s possible that these American visionaries, with their sense of humor, thought it would be more interesting to use LEGO® bricks rather than buying sturdy metal frames.
To think that LEGO® bricks, known for their overwhelming high quality, supported the founding of Google, now a global IT giant!
Intensifying Competition in the AI Era
While Stds.jp is a site of considerable scale, looking at the access analytics, it seems that with the recent remarkable rise of conversational AI, fewer people are using search sites in the same way as before.
Although Google’s dominance won’t be easily overturned, we can’t take our eyes off the future of the search industry, which now includes AI.
Feeling Inspired to Build a Server Rack with LEGO® Bricks?
If you’re eager to purchase LEGO® DUPLO and try your hand at assembling a server rack, head over to the official LEGO® Shop and make your purchase now!
LEGO Shop Official Online Store
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