In a bid to tackle the energy challenges of data centres, a Chinese company is set to submerge a server pod in the sea near Shanghai. This innovative approach aims to address the high energy consumption and heat generation associated with traditional data centres. Workers are completing the installation of a large yellow capsule on a wharf, marking a new venture in tech infrastructure that raises questions about its environmental impact and commercial feasibility. As the demand for data storage rises with the growth of artificial intelligence, underwater data centres offer the advantage of natural cooling by ocean currents, eliminating the need for energy-intensive air conditioning or water evaporation methods used on land. This technology, previously tested by Microsoft in Scotland in 2018, is now being developed by Highlander, in collaboration with state-owned construction firms, and represents one of the first commercial applications of its kind, scheduled to be deployed in mid-October.
Is China reducing AI’s carbon footprint with underwater data centres?
