Shanghai debuts world's first wind-powered underwater data center

China has taken another bold step towards green computing infrastructure with the official launch of the world's first commercial underwater data center (UDC) project powered by an offshore wind farm in Shanghai on Tuesday.

The project, initiated in Shanghai's coastal waters near the Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, pioneers the co-location of renewable energy and computing infrastructure to address the surging global demand for low-carbon computing solutions.

The administrative committee of the Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, Shanghai Lingang Special Area Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Hicloud Technology Co., Ltd. signed a tripartite cooperation agreement on Tuesday, marking the official launch of the project.

Chen Jinshan, head of the administrative committee of the Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, said that the Lingang project establishes a new model for UDCs, aspiring to become a benchmark for green computing power.

"This fusion of new-quality computing infrastructure and AI-ready scenarios aligns with our goal to strengthen Lingang's position as a global hub for cross-border data flows, AI computing and intelligent connectivity," he said.

According to the agreement, Hicloud will invest an initial 1.6 billion yuan (about $222.7 million) in the two-phase project, known as the Shanghai Lingang UDC project, to establish a 24-megawatt (MW) underwater data cluster integrating renewable energy, advanced cooling and cross-border data capabilities, said Su Yang, general manager of Hicloud.

The facility, hosting groups of modular data units, will be cooled by seawater and powered by offshore wind energy, achieving sustainable energy use and zero carbon emissions, said Su.

The first phase, a 2.3 MW demonstration facility, has been designated by the National Development and Reform Commission as a national model for green, low-carbon innovation and is expected to be operational in September.

The second phase will scale capacity to 24 MW, achieving a power usage effectiveness (PUE) below 1.15 – a benchmark for energy efficiency – while sourcing over 90 percent of its power from offshore wind farms, he said.

The UDC's natural seawater cooling system reduces refrigeration energy consumption from 40-50 percent of total power use to under 10 percent, slashing overall energy use by 30-40 percent compared to land-based counterparts, said Su.

Additionally, it will mitigate land usage, addressing the common issue of land resource scarcity faced by land-based deployments, he added.