The rapid growth of artificial intelligence is increasing the demand for data centers, since these facilities require large quantities of electricity, water, and land. As a result, some companies are considering the ocean as a possible new location for AI infrastructure.
The Rise of Ocean-Based AI Infrastructure
Microsoft was among the first to explore the idea, placing an underwater data center off Scotland’s Orkney Islands in 2018. After two years, the company found that its underwater servers failed at a much lower rate than those on land. However, Microsoft ended the project in 2024, citing no specific reason, while analysts pointed to challenges including maintenance, upgrades, and regulation.
Benefits Beneath the Surface
Other countries are continuing to explore the technology. China launched a commercial underwater data center which uses seawater for cooling and is said to use at least 30% less electricity than ordinary facilities. Japan and Singapore are testing floating data centres that are partly powered by renewable energy, while South Korea is planning a large underwater facility.
It is obvious that ocean-based data centers could decrease the demand for fresh water, reduce cooling costs, and lessen the strain on limited land areas; furthermore, their siting offshore might also reduce opposition from communities living near large data centers.
Environmental and Operational Challenges
Despite these advantages, ocean-based computing faces formidable hurdles. Routine hardware repairs present a logistical nightmare, often requiring an entire submerged module to be hauled to the surface for a single faulty component. Regulatory approval remains complex, and physical scalability remains far more limited than on land.
Most critically, the environmental trade-off is still unclear. Discharging warmer seawater back into coastal habitats risks localized thermal pollution, potentially threatening marine ecosystems that are already stressed by climate change.
While ocean-based data centers offer an innovative pathway to lighten the burden on land, freshwater, and power grids, their ultimate success hinges on a delicate balance: expanding computing frontiers without creating a new crisis beneath the waves.
