🌊 Who needs data centers in space when they can float on the sea?

The offshore wind developer, Aikido, is set to deploy a small data center submerged under a floating wind turbine off the coast of Norway this year. This innovative initiative aims to harness renewable wind energy to power data infrastructure.

A novel approach to energy and data

The growing demand for data centers for artificial intelligence has led some to consider the possibility of launching servers into space to take advantage of continuous solar energy. However, Aikido proposes a closer-to-home alternative: submerging a 100-kilowatt data center in the ocean.

If the trial is successful, the company plans to deploy a larger version off the coast of the United Kingdom in 2028, using a turbine between 15 and 18 megawatts to power a 10 to 12 megawatt data center.

Benefits and challenges

This approach not only offers proximity to the energy source but also mitigates concerns from NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) groups who oppose the construction of data centers due to noise and pollution reasons. Additionally, the cold sea water would facilitate the cooling of the servers, a significant challenge for data centers in space.

However, life in the ocean also presents challenges. The marine environment is hostile and corrosive, meaning that the equipment will need to be properly protected and secured to withstand the harsh sea conditions.

Aikido is not the first company to explore this idea; Microsoft had already experimented with submerged data centers in 2018 with positive results, although the project was ultimately discontinued.

Source: TechCrunch