China Turns on the World's First Underwater Data Center
The 24-megawatt facility uses offshore wind and seawater cooling to cut power use by about 22.8 percent, Chinese officials said.
- China officially launched the world's first underwater data center this week, located about six miles off the coast of Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area.
- Built by HiCloud Technology and China Communications Construction for about $226 million, the facility sits 30 feet below the ocean surface.
- The project draws power from an offshore wind farm and utilizes natural cooling effects from ocean submersion, which the Chinese government claims reduces energy consumption by about one-fifth compared to land-based facilities.
- Maxing out at 24 megawatts, this proof-of-concept project is significantly smaller than gigawatt facilities elsewhere; similar underwater projects in California faced environmental hurdles, according to Wired.
- A United Nations University Institute report warns that data center water consumption could reach 9.3 trillion liters by 2030, equivalent to the water needs of all of Saharan Africa.
16 Articles
16 Articles
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China just sank a key piece of its AI future into the sea off Shanghai. The world's first wind-powered underwater data center is now running about 6 miles off the city's coast, in a project backed by HiCloud Technology and state-owned China Communications Construction, reports the Guardian . Submerged roughly 30...
World's first wind-powered underwater data center starts operating in China, and it uses much less power and water than its land-based counterpart
The world of data infrastructure is shifting beneath the waves, and it is honestly a massive leap forward for sustainable tech. We have seen the very first wind-powered underwater data center officially start operations off the coast of Shanghai, The Guardian reported. This project, which launched in May, is a direct response to the massive energy demands triggered by the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. It is a joint effort between HiClou…
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New Delhi: There is a fully operational datacenter sitting 35 metres beneath the ocean right now, off the coast of Shanghai, and it runs almost entirely on wind power. The project has a capacity of 24MW, is located in Shanghai’s Lingang Special Area, was officially launched in June 2025, completed in October, and began full commercial operations following successful initial trials in February. For years, tech leaders like Elon Musk floated the i…
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