China to sink servers off Shanghai in underwater data center trial

China is set to deploy one of the world’s first commercial underwater data centers by submerging a capsule of servers off Shanghai in mid-October. Developed by maritime equipment firm Highlander in collaboration with state-owned builders, the project aims to drastically reduce the massive energy consumption associated with traditional land-based data centers, particularly for cooling. Utilizing natural ocean currents for temperature regulation, the underwater facility promises up to 90% energy savings on cooling costs and will be powered predominantly by renewable energy from nearby offshore wind farms. The capsule, constructed with corrosion-resistant steel coated in glass flakes, will serve major clients including China Telecom and a state-owned AI computing company. While the initiative aligns with China’s government push to lower the carbon footprint of data infrastructure, experts caution about potential environmental and technical risks. Marine ecologists warn that heat discharged by submerged servers could disrupt local ecosystems by attracting or repelling certain species, though current assessments suggest temperature impacts remain below harmful thresholds. Scaling up such operations, however, may amplify thermal