China Builds Underwater Data Center Powered by Wind Energy

China has completed the construction of an innovative underwater data center powered almost entirely by wind energy. Located off the coast of Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area, the project represents a $226 million investment in sustainable computing.

A New Benchmark for Efficiency

Compared to traditional land-based facilities, the underwater data center offers significant environmental benefits:

• Reduces total electricity consumption by nearly 23%.
• Eliminates the need for fresh water entirely.
• Decreases land use by over 90%.

Revolutionizing Data Center Cooling

Large data centers can consume up to 19 million liters of water daily, with cooling systems often accounting for 40-50% of total energy use. By leveraging seawater as a natural coolant, this underwater facility slashes the energy required for cooling to just 10% of its operational needs.

A High-Performance Computing Hub

This facility is designed as a powerful underwater computing cluster, engineered to support a wide array of advanced applications beyond simple data storage. Key workloads include:

• Artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance neural network training.
• Infrastructure for 5G networks, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and e-commerce.
• Serving as a key node in a regional network for cross-border data flows.

Future Plans and Challenges

This facility marks the first phase of a larger project. A second phase is planned to expand the unit's capacity from 2.3 MW to 24 MW, though a timeline has not yet been announced. This initiative builds on China's growing expertise in the field, following the launch of the world's first commercial underwater data center off the coast of Hainan earlier this year.

However, engineers acknowledge that scaling this technology presents several challenges, including managing maintenance costs, preventing corrosion, and mitigating any impact on the marine environment.

#china #news #datacenter