🌊 Underwater Data Center Near Shanghai
In September, Chinese company Hailanyun Technologies will launch an underwater data center 10 km off the coast of Shanghai, one of the country's main AI hubs. The project's budget is $223 million.
The idea is to save energy spent on cooling. Thanks to natural water cooling, such a data center consumes 30% less electricity. Plus, it will be almost entirely powered by a nearby wind farm.
The first phase will accommodate up to 800 AI servers, which is about 15 times fewer than the average data center in China. If the project is successful, the developers plan to build more powerful clusters with the support of the government.
The company asserts that preliminary tests indicate minimal environmental impact from the additional water heating. "The heat dissipated by the undersea data center caused less than one degree of temperature rise in the surrounding water. It virtually did not cause any substantial impact," assures Hailanyun Technologies representative Li Langping.
Among big tech companies, Microsoft had launched an underwater data center a few years ago, located just off the coast of Scotland, but ultimately halted the project in 2024.
