Underwater Data Centers Promise a Climate-Forward Solution, But a Warming Ocean Complicates Things

In the summer of 2026, China announced its first underwater data center situated off the coast of Shanghai in the East China Sea. The facility is powered entirely by wind energy, touting itself as the world's first wind-powered data center submerged underwater. The government claimed this innovative design would be more eco-friendly than traditional land-based data centers. However, climate change might impact the viability of underwater data centers in the future.

Data centers require cool water to cool their servers, but global ocean temperatures have been steadily rising since the 1950s, according to NASA. This increasing ocean temperature could potentially diminish the cooling efficiency of underwater data centers.

The concept of submerging data centers to maintain cool temperatures has been experimented with in the past. In 2018, Microsoft engineers submerged a data center off the coast of Scotland. The experiment proved successful, with the engineers highlighting benefits like reduced dust and minimal human interference. Despite the positive outcome, Microsoft has not announced any plans to replicate the project in the past six years.

Ocean temperatures play a crucial role in the functionality of underwater data centers. Data centers need cool water to operate efficiently. However, with ocean temperatures continuously rising, it is crucial to assess whether submerged data centers can maintain their performance during marine heatwaves.

According to Ayodele Periola, a lecturer at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, data centers could still function under high temperatures, provided the water temperature remains below 19 degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit). If the temperature exceeds 66 degrees, the data center would require a cold-water reservoir to maintain cooling efficiency.

The proposed placement of underwater data centers near coastal areas to serve local populations presents a challenge. Coastal regions are shallower and have been experiencing temperatures well above the recommended threshold. In August 2026, sensors reported water temperatures surpassing the recommended 66 degrees in various locations along the United States East Coast and the Great Lakes.

While submerged data centers could aid land-dwellers by reducing energy and water demands, their introduction might negatively impact the underwater environment. The same study revealed that data centers intake warm water and subsequently release it at higher temperatures, potentially affecting marine life. Thus, underwater data centers promise a climate-friendly solution, but the warming ocean complicates their widespread adoption.