The computers in the containers or "modules" could easily be replaced or updated as technology advances and adverse sea conditions exact their toll.

Proposed configurations include putting the modules on land next to a body of water.

Water is key for generating power, according to the patent, which cites the use of Pelamis machines and other devices such as wind generators to create energy.

The Pelamis machines use a series of hydraulics powered by water motion to drive motors connected to electrical generators. Other devices such as a floating power-generation apparatus use tethers and a spring-loaded hub to gather power from the rise and fall of water levels.

Google also proposes the option of building tidal basins with channels to the sea that are used to control the rise and fall of water that would engage the tethered power-generating devices.

The power supply methods could be used for floating data centers or wired into on-shore data centers.

Google says such data center options can help satisfy the growing public use of the Internet and the need for bandwidth to support graphics, video and Web 2.0 applications.

But it also says highly flexible and mobile computing centers would provide "transient data centers" that could be used in times of natural disasters, military maneuvers or special events to provide temporary computing and telecom services.

Google's application also details cooling options using sea-powered or wind-powered pumps and seawater-to-freshwater heat exchangers

Another option outlined is tapping at shoreline into the existing communication's infrastructure that runs under the ocean, and adding housing and helicopter access on floating data centers.

The plan also calls for a backup system that could rely on a fuel-based power generation system or use energy stored by the Pelamis system or wind turbines. A solar collection system could also be used, Google says. The patent states, "As one example, banks of batteries may be used to store electrical energy. As another example, fuel cells may be used with hydrogen kept in a reservoir, which is filled by electrolysis when wave energy is available."

Whether Google gets a patent or not, the message is that the need to satisfy bandwidth demands and to locate computing power near users may grow beyond even what pundits today are expecting.