{
  "id": 18875700,
  "title": "The Trump administration wants underwater datacenters. One Great Lakes non-profit is already preparing",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/the-trump-administration-wants-underwater-datacenters-one-great-lakes-18875700",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-11-07T14:00:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Guardian Technology",
    "slug": "guardian-technology",
    "url": "https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/07/underwater-datacenters-great-lakes-trump"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Trump administration is reportedly considering plans for underwater datacenters off the coasts of Maine and Alaska. Tech companies find the concept attractive as it can eliminate community opposition and lower utility costs. A Microsoft project off the coast of Scotland achieved an 87% reduction in server failures after two years. However, environmental concerns arise regarding the impact of these underwater datacenters on the Great Lakes, which serve as a crucial source of drinking water for millions of people. Local environmental activists are worried about potential heat-related algal blooms and contamination, as well as the release of warm water from the datacenters that could disrupt aquatic life and ecosystems.",
  "summary": "Tech companies like the idea, as they largely eliminate community opposition, and could cut down on utility costs While Elon Musk has often touted putting datacenters in space, reports suggest that another geographic area may soon become a widespread target: our lakes and oceans . Two underwater datacenters are already in operation off the coast of China, and recent reports suggest that the Trump…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}