China’s underwater data centres offer a striking response to the cooling demands of computing infrastructure. Lucy’s TNC broadcast looks at the Hainan expansion, Shanghai’s offshore-wind-linked project and the questions that remain.

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From Hainan to Shanghai

According to a February 19, 2025 Xinhua report on the Chinese government’s website, a new computing module was connected to the existing underwater facility off Lingshui, Hainan. The original facility began operating in March 2023. The added module could accommodate more than 400 high-performance servers, with applications including AI training and inference.

Shanghai’s government website reported on October 22, 2025 that construction of a wind-powered underwater data centre in the Lin-gang Special Area had been completed the previous day. It described a project with 24 megawatts of total power capacity.

The cooling idea—and the questions

The Hainan report says seawater provides natural cooling. Shanghai’s account says its project was designed to use more than 95 per cent green electricity and reduce power consumption by 22.8 per cent compared with traditional land-based centres.

Those are reported project design figures. They do not, by themselves, establish the overall environmental impact. Maintenance access, equipment reliability and the effects of heat released into the marine environment remain questions to assess when considering this approach.

Watch the short clips

Lucy is an AI-generated presenter with an AI-generated voice. The underwater B-roll and accompanying image are AI illustrations, not footage or photographs of the actual facilities.

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