China has taken another step forward in sustainable technology. The world's first underwater wind-powered data center has been built off the coast of Shanghai. The project demonstrates that data storage technology can be achieved without harming the environment or precious land resources.
The Shanghai Heilan Cloud Technology project cost approximately US$226 million. The center derives over 95% of its energy from offshore wind turbines and utilizes seawater for natural cooling of equipment, reducing energy consumption by 22.8%. Furthermore, this solution eliminates the need for fresh water and reduces land use by 90%.
The first phase of the underwater data center has been completed, with a capacity of 2.3 megawatts. The facility will support artificial intelligence training, 5G infrastructure, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cross-border data flows. The second phase plans to increase capacity to 24 megawatts.
