At present, data centers have become one of the most lucrative businesses globally, banking on the boom of AI development and Cloud Computing. However, one of the biggest bottlenecks in this business is cooling these huge computing machines.
Data centers generate a tremendous amount of heat from non-stop high-performing operations in either Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Cloud work. As such these machines require an equal amount of cooling to maintain optimal operation 24/7.
In tropical countries, especially Thailand and its Southeast Asian peers, cooling data centers means more electricity cost—much higher than countries further in the northern hemisphere—as this region has higher ambient temperature, which adds up to heat generated from data centers.
Thailand is one of the destinations for Southeast Asia data center investment, with the existing investment framework such as the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), robust digital infrastructure, and tax incentive from the Board of Investment of Thailand. The kingdom has risen as one of the most attractive locations to build data centers.
However, investors are hesitant as electricity costs in Thailand are higher than its neighbor.
To address this concern, China has embarked in a new ambitious move to cool these power hungry machines.
The world’s second largest economy is also betting on AI, Cloud, and other digital technology to grow its long-stagnating economy. A major part of this scheme involves rapid expansion of data centers to accommodate these businesses, which require large amounts of energy for operation and cooling. These servers used hundreds of thousands of gallons of water daily to get rid of the heat they generated.
Water is one of the most efficient ways of reducing heat, but it is also dangerous toward the sensitive electrical equipment. As such many data centers are usually located in an area with low humidity and away from major bodies of water, further straining the water supply chain.
China aims to get rid of this bottleneck, while also easing its water supply, by putting the data center in one of the coolest—yet wettest areas on earth, the ocean. The country is constructing a wind-powered underwater data center six miles (around 9.6 kilometers) off the coast of Shanghai, one of its major digital hubs.
Most data centers use chilled water, usually air conditioned, to move the heat away from the servers by either spraying the water into the air that circulates around the machine or evaporating near it. This water can come from underground, nearby bodies of water, or reclaimed wastewater. Undersea data centers on the other hand pump seawater from pipe through a radiator on the server racks to carry the heat away.
Hailanyun or HiCloud, a data center operator based in Shanghai, conducted an assessment with China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, which resulted in the project using at least 30% less electricity than the on-land counterpart, partly thanks to the ocean’s natural cooling.
Hailanyun’s underwater data center will also be powered by a nearby offshore windfarm, which is set to generate 97% of its required energy, said the company spokesperson Li Langping.
At the core of Hailanyun’s ambitious move lies a pioneering effort from Microsoft from a decade ago called Project Natick, which saw the tech giant sink a container-sized capsule holding 800 servers 117 feet (about 35 meters) off the coast of Scotland. Two years later, Microsoft recovered the capsule and concluded that underwater data centers are reliable and energy efficient.
The recovered data center also suffered fewer server losses compared to the on-land counterpart, as the underwater servers are completely sealed off and filled with nitrogen, which are less corrosive than typical oxygen. The lack of physical contact between operators and the machine also resulted in fewer accidents that could damage the servers.
Microsoft has since shelved Project Natrick, but did not confirm its termination and instead said that the project will be used as a research platform to explore and experiment on data centers reliability and sustainability.
If Thailand could also adopt the underwater data center concept to solve or ease its electricity costs, the kingdom can use this advantage to present itself as a more attractive digital investment destination compared to its regional peers.
