But if Google has a sophisticated virtualization layer and an efficient way of replacing bad hardware (and they do) they can ride those old machines straight into the ground, getting every scrap of life from them.
Edit: Guys, this is literally true. I worked with these teams. They did it. Downvoting doesn't make it not true. Idk what you want exactly.
See, that's what they mean when they talk about hardware being "cattle, not pets". This is how the robot uprising starts - just think how badly they must be treating those servers!