China has successfully completed the world’s first wind-powered underwater data center, a major step in merging renewable energy with advanced computing capabilities. Situated in the Lin-gang Special Area of Shanghai’s Pilot Free Trade Zone, this data center represents a significant investment of approximately USD 226 million. With a power capacity of 24 megawatts, the facility is designed to draw nearly all of its electricity from offshore wind sources while utilizing seawater for cooling, contributing to reduced energy use and land requirements.
The innovative underwater data center (UDC) leverages offshore wind energy and subsea technology to address the growing demand for sustainable digital infrastructure. By dramatically cutting overall power consumption by 23% and eliminating water use, it stands in stark contrast to conventional land-based facilities that rely heavily on energy-intensive cooling systems. With its power usage effectiveness (PUE) ratio falling below 1.15, the UDC surpasses China’s 2025 green data center target of 1.25, solidifying its position among the world’s most energy-efficient data centers.
Shanghai’s broader initiative aims to position the coastal region as a leader in smart computing and clean energy by expanding its intelligent computing cloud industry significantly by 2025, with aspirations for a computing capacity of 200 exaFLOPS. This ambitious goal comes alongside collaborative efforts from various corporations to establish a comprehensive offshore wind-powered underwater data center cluster, aiming for a total of 500 megawatts.
Despite the promising technology of underwater data centers, experts express that further advancements must be made before such projects can be deployed on a mass scale. “Construction of UDCs is still in its initial stage,” noted Wang Shifeng, chairman of Third Harbor Engineering. He emphasized the need for technological maturity and cost efficiency to transition from pilot projects to widespread application, highlighting ongoing initiatives to enhance offshore computing infrastructure.