Shanghai, Jun 09 (V7N) – China has launched what is being described as the world’s first wind-powered underwater data center, located off the coast of Shanghai, according to a report published by The Guardian.
The facility is part of the Shanghai Lingang Underwater Data Center Demonstration Project and has been developed through a joint venture between HighCloud Technology and China Communications Construction Company, a state-owned enterprise.
Officials said the data center has a total capacity of 24 megawatts and is situated approximately 10 kilometers off the Shanghai coastline at a depth of around 10 meters below sea level.
According to Chinese government data, the underwater system is capable of reducing energy consumption by more than 20 percent compared to conventional land-based data centers.
Traditional data centers require significant energy for cooling systems, as servers operate continuously and generate substantial heat. It is estimated that 25 to 40 percent of total energy consumption in such facilities is used for cooling alone.
By being submerged underwater, the new facility reportedly uses naturally cold seawater for cooling, significantly reducing the need for additional electricity and improving overall energy efficiency.
The development also addresses global concerns over freshwater consumption in artificial intelligence (AI) and data infrastructure. Experts have warned that cooling AI-driven data centers consumes vast amounts of freshwater worldwide.
A recent warning from the United Nations Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) estimated that global data center water usage could reach 9.3 trillion liters by 2030, equivalent to the annual water needs of approximately 1.3 billion households in sub-Saharan Africa.
By using seawater instead of freshwater for cooling, underwater data centers are being viewed as a potential solution to reduce environmental pressure and improve sustainability in the rapidly growing digital infrastructure sector.
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