China Launches First Commercial Underwater Wind-Powered Data Center

China has launched the world's first commercial underwater data center powered by offshore wind power. The facility is located offshore Shanghai near the Lingang Special Economic Zone.

The project is being jointly implemented by the free trade zone administration, Shanghai Lingang Special Area Investment Holding Group and Shanghai Hicloud Technology. The investment in the project will amount to 1.6 billion yuan (about 222.7 million dollars).

The data center will operate in two stages. The first stage with a capacity of 2.3 MW will be operational in September 2025. Once fully completed, the facility's capacity will reach 24 MW. The equipment will be cooled by seawater, and more than 90% of the electricity will come from offshore wind farms.

According to the developers' calculations, the use of natural cooling will reduce the system's energy consumption by 30-40% compared to traditional data centers. The power efficiency indicator (PUE) will be less than 1.15.

The project aims to reduce carbon footprint and save land resources. Shanghai authorities see it as part of a program to develop green technologies and digital infrastructure in the region.

In the analytical article “Data Center of the Future: Modular, Smart, and “Green””, experts from “Computerra” analyzed the key trends that will change the appearance of data centers in the next decade.