Heading for China, which is embarking on a project that is, to say the least, original, but not devoid of common sense. The Chinese are building an underwater data center 35m below sea level. While this represents some serious technical constraints, there are also some significant advantages!
An undersea data center in China!
Although the exact location of the construction is not known, we do know that China is building a new data center. However, rather than being built on land, it will be underwater. While the idea may seem far-fetched, there are a few advantages.
The first is electricity savings, since by doing so, the country will save 122 million kWh of electricity. The other benefit is clearly in water savings: 105,000t of water saved. The third advantage concerns cooling, as the data center is submerged at a depth of 35m, taking advantage of the cold seawater temperatures for cooling.
As for the disadvantages, we can already point to the difficulty of intervening in the event of failure. Indeed, unless the faulty module can be brought to the surface by boat, divers will have to be sent in. Then there’s the question of the amount of space occupied, since we’re talking about 100 modules (each weighing 1,300t) covering an area the size of 10 soccer pitches.
As for computing performance, the figures provided give only a vague idea of the machine’s capabilities. According to our colleagues, each module is capable of processing four million high-definition images in 30 seconds. Again, we’re talking about processing capacities of 60,000 PCs per unit. Once complete, the data center should perform as well as 6 million PCs.
In any case, the most striking feature is its energy efficiency, which is 40-60% higher than that of a conventional data center. As for lifespan, the equipment is designed to last 25 years. Completion is scheduled for the second quarter of 2025, at a total cost of $879 million.