The world's first wind-powered underwater data center (UDC) has been launched in Shanghai's Lin-gang Special Area. The facility is expected to provide Shanghai with a breakthrough solution to energy and space constraints while strengthening its computing infrastructure.

The wind-powered UDC in Lin-gang Special Area. [Photo/Wenhui Daily]

The 1.6-billion-yuan ($228 million) project features a total capacity of 24MW. Located between phases one and two of Lin-gang's offshore wind farm, the data center modules are positioned next to offshore wind turbines. They utilize seawater for natural cooling and are directly powered by the wind farm.

The dual green model enables on-site consumption of computing resources and the use of renewable electricity from nearby sources. According to estimates, the project reduces electricity consumption by 22.8 percent, eliminates water use, and cuts land use by more than 90 percent. Its power usage effectiveness remains stable at around 1.15, placing it among industry-leading levels.

Computing clusters from major enterprises such as China Telecom have moved in, and local computing service providers such as LinkWise have also been connected to the platform.

GPU servers deployed within the data modules support operations ranging from big data annotation to the development of domestically developed large language models, enabling coordinated allocation of computing resources across onshore and offshore facilities.

Lin-gang is accelerating its development as a computing power hub. The area has attracted eight intelligent computing centers, with a total computing capacity that accounts for around 40 percent of Shanghai's total.