The world’s first underwater data center powered by wind / Image generated by a neural network, photo editor: Adelina Mamedova
China has completed the world’s first underwater data center powered entirely by wind energy, New Atlas reported. The 24-megawatt facility in Shanghai sets a new benchmark for green computing infrastructure.
$226 million investment in green technology
The Lin-gang Special Area (Shanghai) Administrative Committee reported that the project attracted a total investment of 1.6 billion yuan ($226 million).
This initiative expands computing capacity by using renewable energy from offshore wind farms. The underwater data center operates as a low-carbon facility, with wind energy supplying more than 95% of its power. By locating the center offshore, developers eliminate the need for freshwater and land use, achieving a 100% reduction in both.
Cooling efficiency through seawater
A representative from Shanghai Hicloud Technology, one of the project’s contractors, stated that conventional data centers typically spend 40% to 50% of their total energy on cooling systems. By using seawater as a natural cooling mechanism, the underwater center expects to reduce that share to less than 10%.
Industry-leading energy efficiency
The team will develop the project in two phases. The first phase, now complete, targets a PUE (power usage effectiveness) rating of 1.15 or lower — a mark that is among the industry’s most efficient.
Notably, PUE shows how well a data center uses energy. Lower numbers mean better efficiency. China’s 2024 green data center policy says big new or upgraded centers must have a PUE below 1.25 by the end of 2025, and top-level centers must stay under 1.2.
Looking ahead, the Shanghai municipal government plans to invest more than 200 billion yuan (approximately $28 billion) in intelligent computing by 2027.
