The world's first commercial underwater data center that directly connects to offshore wind power and utilizes natural seawater cooling, the Shanghai Lingang Underwater Data Center, has officially entered full commercial operation. The project is located in the eastern sea area of Nanhuizui, Lingang, Pudong, Shanghai, about 13 kilometers away from the shore. It is led by Hailan Cloud Technology and jointly built by Shanghai Shenneng Group, China Telecom, Shanghai Yidian, China Communications Third Navigation and other parties, with a total investment of 1.6 billion yuan. The first phase of the project has been officially put into operation, marking the transition of the integration model of offshore wind power and underwater computing power from concept to reality, and opening up a new path for the deep synergy between clean energy and digital economy.

The first phase of the project has completed nearly two months of trial operation

The overall planned scale of the data center is 24 megawatts, with an installed capacity of 2.3 megawatts in the first phase of the project. The single cabin weighs about 1900 tons and is deployed at depths of 8 to 10 meters underwater. The first phase has completed nearly two months of trial operation, and all core indicators have been met, officially entering the commercial operation stage. The data center is directly connected to the offshore wind farm through submarine cables, fully utilizing the green power of offshore wind power and utilizing low-temperature seawater for natural cooling, significantly reducing cooling energy consumption and improving energy utilization efficiency. This design not only solves the problem of on-site consumption of offshore wind power, but also provides an innovative paradigm for the green and low-carbon development of the data center industry

Computer and electronics collaboration receives national strategic policy guidance

The government work report of this year's two sessions first proposed the collaboration of computing and electricity, and elevated artificial intelligence to a national strategy, further clarifying the importance of the coordinated development of computing power and electricity, and providing policy guidance for the integration of offshore wind power and computing facilities. In this context, as a new type of digital infrastructure, underwater data centers are expected to become an important carrier for the integration and development of offshore energy and digital economy in the future. This project has successfully overcome the dual challenges of on-site consumption of offshore wind power and low-carbon development of data centers, achieving efficient coupling between energy and computing power. Keywords: wind power infrastructure, underwater data center

Phase II project plan to start construction in batches

According to the plan, the second phase of the 21.7 MW project is expected to start construction in batches from 2026 to 2027. In the future, we will explore the deep integration of deep-sea areas and large-scale offshore wind farms, create a multi cabin cluster deployment of underwater data center parks, and continuously improve the economic and social benefits of computer integration. The seemingly unattainable combination of offshore wind power and underwater computing power has become a reality due to breakthroughs in technology and models. Under the guidance of the synergy between computing and artificial intelligence and national strategy, the integration of clean energy and digital economy will unleash greater potential. The deep linkage between offshore wind power and underwater computing power clusters is expected to become an important engine for promoting energy transformation and building a digital China.Editor/Gao Xue