The world's first! China launches a wind-powered "underwater data center": energy efficiency reaches 1.15, zero water consumption to meet the AI computing surge

China officially launched the world's first underwater data center (UDC) powered by offshore wind energy today (October 10) near the Shanghai coast. This technological marvel is submerged 10 meters underwater, with an initial capacity of 24 MW, utilizing seawater for natural cooling, and maintaining a top-tier Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of under 1.15. Against the backdrop of explosive growth in artificial intelligence (AI) computing power driving global electricity demand, this project successfully achieves 100% water-free operation and 90% land savings for green transformation.
(Background summary: How to invest in the AI gold rush? CZ Zhao Changpeng: The top choices are electricity and data centers, but 80% of funds still heavily favor Web3)
(Additional background: WSJ: Google secretly meets with SpaceX to discuss advancing "Orbital AI Data Centers," Elon Musk's fleet of millions of satellites prepares for an epic IPO)

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• Seawater Natural Cooling: Saving 100% Water and 90% Land
• 100% Direct Supply from Wind Power: Green Electricity Exceeds 95%
• US-China AI Infrastructure War: Energy Strategies Behind Green Transformation

As generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models experience explosive growth, traditional onshore data centers are facing unprecedented "power and cooling crises." According to foreign media WIRED, a super green infrastructure jointly invested by private company HiCloud Technology and state-owned China Communications Construction Group, totaling 1.6 billion RMB (about $236 million), has officially been activated in the Shanghai Lingang special zone near the coast. This is not only a major breakthrough in the tech industry but also the world's first commercial demonstration project that perfectly combines "Underwater Data Centers (UDC)" with "Offshore Wind Power."

In fact, the project was completed in mid-October 2025, and after several months of rigorous testing, it officially went into operation today. The data center is submerged about 10 meters below the sea surface, with an initial computing capacity of 24 MW.

Seawater Natural Cooling: Saving 100% Water and 90% Land

The core technological advantage of this underwater data center lies in completely overturning the traditional server cooling logic. Onshore data centers' massive air conditioning and cooling systems typically account for 40% to 50% of total electricity consumption. However, this UDC directly uses cold seawater as a natural cooling system, drastically reducing cooling energy requirements to below 10%.

This revolutionary design creates extremely impressive environmental and economic benefits. According to official data:

• The overall energy consumption of the center has been reduced by 22.8%.
• Water used for server cooling has been reduced by 100%, achieving zero water consumption.
• Since there is no need to build server rooms in densely populated urban areas, land use has been reduced by over 90%.

With multiple green indicators supporting it, the first phase of this center has successfully kept its Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) below 1.15 (the closer to 1.0, the higher the efficiency), reaching top-tier standards in the global data center industry.

100% Direct Supply from Wind Power: Green Electricity Exceeds 95%

In fact, HiCloud Technology had already established the world's first commercial underwater data center in Hainan in 2023, also using seawater cooling technology. However, the new base in Shanghai Lingang has evolved significantly, relying entirely on "offshore wind power" for electricity, providing over 95% of pure green energy to the underwater servers around the clock, perfectly realizing the zero-carbon computing vision.

This design is also closely linked to recent reforms in China's electricity market. Since June 2025, China's wind and solar power have fully entered the electricity market trading, greatly optimizing clean energy asset allocation. The underwater data center is directly connected to offshore wind grids, not only solving the absorption problem of green electricity but also providing a highly stable and low-cost power source for high-density AI chips.

US-China AI Infrastructure War: Energy Strategies Behind Green Transformation

According to a recent United Nations report, China and the US currently account for about 90% of the world's AI-specific data center infrastructure. Amid US restrictions on advanced chip exports and attempts to block China's AI development, breaking through energy bottlenecks through "green infrastructure innovation" has become a key aspect of geopolitical competition.

Analysts believe that the launch of Shanghai's wind-powered underwater data center is not only driven by environmental considerations but also part of China's overall strategy for "energy self-sufficiency" and "technological independence." By expanding investments in renewable energy and nuclear power infrastructure, China is trying to reduce reliance on fossil fuels while building a safety net capable of supporting the next generation of AI's intense computing needs, thus further consolidating its leading position in the global digital economy race.