China starts operating a wind-powered underwater AI data center

The Shanghai Lingang undersea data-center demonstration project has started operating more than 10 kilometers off the coast of Shanghai. The 24-megawatt facility, built by HiCloud Technology and China Communications Construction, sits 10 meters underwater and is powered by a nearby offshore wind farm. Chinese government figures say it uses more than one-fifth less power than a comparable land-based facility, while seawater cooling reduces demand for freshwater. The project represents a commercial-scale attempt to address the energy and water constraints created by AI infrastructure. Environmental effects such as local seawater heating still require monitoring, but the deployment could influence how other regions evaluate unconventional data-center designs.

Key details: June 9, 2026, 24 megawatts, Shanghai, 1.6 billion yuan investment, More than 20% lower power use.

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