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.
15 Articles
15 Articles
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China launches world’s first commercial underwater datacentre powered by offshore wind energy
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…
The world's first wind-powered underwater data center has begun operations off the coast of Shanghai. The center, a joint venture between private company HiCloud Technology and state-owned China Communications Construction, has a capacity of 24 megawatts. The data center is located more than 10 kilometers off the coast of Shanghai, 10 meters below sea level, and is connected to a nearby wind farm. The new center reduces energy consumption by mor…
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