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Chinese company Hailanyun Technology has begun construction of the country’s first large-scale underwater data center off the coast of Shanghai. The project utilizes seawater and wind energy for server cooling, allowing for reduced energy consumption and eliminating the need for freshwater.

Modern digital technologies, including artificial intelligence and cloud services, demand high computational power and continuous data processing. This leads to significant equipment heating and high costs for electricity and cooling.

The data center will be located underwater, where cooling is achieved by circulating seawater through radiators. Electricity will be supplied by nearby offshore wind farms.

The platform operates on a closed-loop system, preventing direct contact between the equipment and seawater. Inside the containers, an inert nitrogen atmosphere is maintained to prevent corrosion and extend the lifespan of the hardware.

The first module is designed to house around 800 computing nodes and will be capable of training a neural network at the level of GPT-3.5 within a day. South Korea has already announced a similar project, while Singapore and Japan are exploring the installation of underwater or floating data centers.

The project reflects a growing trend toward building more energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable data infrastructure.

Photo: Shanghai Hailanyun Technology