China is revolutionizing CPU water cooling with the ambitious construction of a colossal undersea data center weighing a staggering 130,000 tons. The endeavor, situated 35 meters below the surface off the coast of Sanya, Hainan province, aims to harness the computing power of what is claimed to be “six million conventional personal computers.” Comprising at least 100 massive “nodes,” each weighing 1,300 tons, the facility represents an unprecedented and epic-scale initiative.
The key innovation lies in utilizing seawater as the primary coolant, a move projected to save an impressive 122 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually compared to traditional on-land data centers. While the specifics of the hardware remain undisclosed, the focus on sustainability and efficiency is evident.
This venture isn’t the first instance of submerging computer servers for cooling purposes, but its sheer magnitude distinguishes it. The nodes, designed to operate for a substantial 25 years, present a unique challenge for maintenance and upgrades. Unlike conventional setups, servicing dead CPUs, SSDs, or entire servers may pose challenges, and details on the environmental controls within the undersea chamber are yet to be clarified.
Comparisons with prior experiments, such as Microsoft’s two-year project near the Orkney Islands, underscore the complexity of such initiatives. Microsoft’s approach involved sealing the undersea chamber and filling it with dry nitrogen, creating a less corrosive atmosphere for improved reliability. While it’s uncertain if the Chinese data center adopts a similar strategy, the long-term vision might involve individual recovery and servicing of the nodes.
By 2025, the completion of all 100 nodes is anticipated, raising questions about the practicality and environmental impact of this groundbreaking undersea data center. Whether it will contribute to or mitigate the warming effects of data processing remains to be seen, but it undoubtedly marks a significant stride in redefining data center infrastructure on a global scale.
