China is sinking AI data centers into the ocean
China is taking data center cooling underwater, with construction kicking off this June on a wind-powered undersea facility six miles off Shanghai’s coast. Backed by Hailanyun, the project uses seawater cooling to slash electricity use by 30%, with offshore turbines providing 97% of its power. Why it matters: As AI clusters guzzle massive amounts of freshwater and energy, undersea deployments are graduating from tech demos into commercial infrastructure.