China Advances Commercial Underwater Data Centers with Offshore Wind Integration (xataka.com)

• Commercial underwater data center operational in Hainan: 35m depth, 24 racks, up to 500 servers.
• Shanghai project directly linked to offshore wind farm; total planned capacity 24 MW at 1.6 billion yuan.
• Seawater cooling reduces energy consumption by up to 40% compared to land-based centers.

"China is pushing underwater data centers from experimental to commercial. In Hainan, the first commercial module operates at 35 meters depth with 24 racks and up to 500 servers. In Shanghai, a module is directly connected to an offshore wind farm, aiming for a total capacity of 24 MW. The Shanghai project costs 1.6 billion yuan (~$235 million) and uses seawater for cooling. This approach could reduce cooling energy by up to 40% compared to land-based data centers. MERICS notes challenges like corrosion, high pressure, and maintenance. Microsoft's Project Natick was a technical predecessor but not commercialized."