China Deploys World's First Offshore Wind-Powered Subsea Data Center for AI Computing

China has inaugurated the first underwater data center in the world, which is directly linked to an offshore wind farm situated 10 kilometers from Shanghai's eastern shore at a depth of 10 meters. Developed by Shanghai HiCloud Technology, a subsidiary of the marine equipment firm Highlander listed in Shenzhen, this facility represents a substantial investment of 1.6 billion yuan (US$232.4 million) and is designed to have a capacity of 24 megawatts. Located in Shanghai's Lingang Special Area free-trade zone, this pilot project aims to assess the technical and commercial feasibility of subsea data centers connected to onshore cloud and telecom networks. The data center will support applications such as artificial intelligence, embodied intelligence, and autonomous driving. Last week, state broadcaster CCTV reported on the facility's operation, which follows a similar underwater data center project initiated by Highlander off Hainan province, as China seeks ocean-based solutions to address the increasing demand for AI computing.