China has completed construction of the world’s first wind-powered underwater data centre off the coast of Shanghai, a project China Daily says sets a new benchmark for green computing infrastructure as demand for energy-hungry AI surges.
The 1.6 billion yuan (US$226 million) facility is located about 10 kilometres offshore, within the Lingang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone. It has a relatively small total power capacity of 24 megawatts, according to local authorities.
Developed by Hailanyun (also known as HiCloud), the centre will draw almost all its power from nearby offshore wind turbines. Its cooling system pumps seawater through radiators behind server racks, cutting electricity use by 22.8 percent compared with conventional land-based data centres, according to assessments conducted with the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.
The underwater approach also eliminates water consumption – a major issue with land-based data centres, which are typically located in very dry areas.
[See more: Google is going to use small nuclear reactors to power AI data centres]
Shabrina Nadhila, an analyst at energy-focused think tank Ember, told the Scientific American that China’s approach signalled “a bold shift toward low-carbon digital infrastructure [that] could influence global norms in sustainable computing.”
Microsoft pioneered the underwater data centre concept back in 2018, when it deployed one off the coast of Scotland. While the company deemed its experiment “logistically, environmentally and economically practical,” it has not launched a commercial roll-out to date.
Hailanyun’s Shanghai project followed a pilot installation off Hainan Island in 2022.
Hailanyun has described underwater data centres as “environmentally friendly,” but other researchers have raised concerns about localised warming harming sea life. However, a Hailanyun spokesperson said that heat dissipated by its test data centres “virtually did not cause any substantial impact.”
