Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 1 hr ago
China tests wind-powered underwater data centres, but environmental concerns remain
A Chinese company has placed servers 10 metres underwater off Shanghai in a data centre linked to nearby offshore wind turbines.
The facility uses cool seawater to reduce the energy and fresh water needed for cooling on land.
An engineering professor says underwater cooling can cut total power use by 18 to 28 per cent for the same server capacity.
China had 60 AI data centres operating or being built by the end of 2023, and the figure has risen to 250 this year.
Experts say the environmental effects are not yet clear, including how heat from the servers could affect nearby marine life.
The Shanghai project is a joint effort by HiCloud and at least two state-owned enterprises, and the company says it also plans a second phase at its underwater facility in Hainan.
Other local governments have expressed interest in similar pilot projects, but experts say more information is needed before expansion.
A wind-powered underwater data centre off Shanghai uses seawater for cooling and is connected directly to offshore wind turbines.
The facility is designed to reduce electricity and fresh-water use compared with a land-based data centre.
Experts say more information is needed to assess its effects on nearby marine life before similar projects expand.
China had 250 AI data centres operating or under construction in 2026, up from 60 at the end of 2023.
- Who
- Shanghai HiCloud Technology and at least two state-owned enterprises jointly developed the facility.
- What
- A wind-powered underwater data centre uses seawater to cool its servers.
- When
- The source was published on 20 October 2026. The facility’s launch date is not stated.
- Where
- Several kilometres off the coast of Shanghai, near Lingang.
- Why
- To use offshore wind power and seawater cooling, reducing energy and fresh-water use.
Experts concerned about environmental effects
HiCloud and supporters of underwater data centres
Environmental impact
Experts concerned about environmental effects
Experts say more information is needed and warn that heat from the facilities may affect nearby organisms.
HiCloud and supporters of underwater data centres
HiCloud says its Hainan facility has operated for 40 months with “zero failures, zero incidents”.
Environmental benefits
Experts concerned about environmental effects
Experts say it is too early to determine whether underwater data centres are a green solution.
HiCloud and supporters of underwater data centres
HiCloud says the Shanghai facility uses no fresh water for cooling and is 95 per cent powered by green electricity.
Shenzhen HiCloud Data Center Technology set up an underwater data centre with servers in three sealed capsules off Hainan.
China had 60 AI data centres operating or under construction.
The article reports that China has 250 AI data centres operating or under construction.
- Shanghai facility cost
- CNY 1.6 billion (US$240 million)
- Facility location
- Several kilometres off Shanghai’s coast, near Lingang
- Underwater depth
- 10 metres
- Green electricity
- 95 per cent, according to HiCloud
- Cooling power savings
- 18 per cent to 28 per cent, according to Yang Haosen
- Fresh water saved
- About 40,000 tonnes a year compared with an equivalent land-based facility, according to HiCloud’s project lead
What people are saying
The heat given off by underwater data centres may have behavioural or biological effects on species living in the immediate vicinity, particularly those which are unable to move away.
zero failures, zero incidents