China has submerged an IT infrastructure facility in the sea for the first time. The first phase of the project has already been commissioned. The data center at the bottom combines deep water cooling with wind power.
According to TechRadar, the $226 million project is being implemented in the Lin-gang special zone in Shanghai.
Digital infrastructure with minimal environmental impact
The facility has an underwater height of 35 m. Its servers are housed in waterproof capsules. This prevents damage from liquid, but does not prevent the liquid itself from acting as a cooling system for the equipment.
Data centers consume a lot of energy, but the developers assure us that 95% of the energy for this project will be generated by wind turbines. The wind turbines will be installed on the coast.
Overall, according to the company's management, this installation has an energy efficiency ratio of less than 1.15. This is better than the figures for China as a whole or its other mega-facilities. If the figures are confirmed during operation, the project could set an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly trend in the development of digital infrastructure.
Earlier, EcoPolitic reported that data centers, particularly those for artificial intelligence, could consume up to 5% of the world's energy in 15 years.
