China deploys wind-powered underwater data center off Shanghai coast — $226 million project could top 24 megawatts, harnessing the cooling power of the sea

China has launched a groundbreaking wind-powered underwater data center off the coast of Shanghai, claiming it to be the world's first of its kind. The $226 million project, located 35 meters below the surface, aims to be an energy-efficient and land-sparing cloud infrastructure. With a planned capacity of 24 megawatts, the facility utilizes seawater for cooling, achieving a power usage effectiveness below 1.15. While similar to Microsoft's Project Natick, which proved submerged data centers were more reliable, HiCloud faces challenges in serviceability and scalability. The project aims for a near-zero footprint data center powered by offshore wind, but concerns remain about maintenance and hardware upgrades in the underwater environment.