Ocean Data Centers: Cooling AI in the Deep Blue Sea

A new startup, Aikido, is advancing the concept of offshore data centers, planning to submerge a 100-kilowatt demonstration unit off the coast of Norway this year. This unit will be housed within the submerged pods of a floating offshore wind turbine, addressing the severe power demands of AI data centers.

The company intends to scale up this project, with a larger 10-megawatt to 12-megawatt data center planned for deployment off the UK coast in 2028, supported by a 15-megawatt to 18-megawatt turbine. This offshore strategy offers several advantages, including direct proximity to renewable energy sources and more consistent wind power compared to onshore locations.

Furthermore, submerging data centers could mitigate local opposition from NIMBY groups concerned about noise and pollution. The frigid ocean temperatures also simplify the cooling process for servers, a significant challenge for data centers, especially those considered for space deployment. While the ocean presents a harsh, corrosive environment requiring specialized hardened equipment, the potential benefits are substantial.

This initiative builds on previous explorations; Microsoft experimented with a submerged data center off Scotland in 2018. In that trial, over 25 months, only six of more than 850 servers failed, possibly aided by an inert nitrogen gas environment. Microsoft later open-sourced its patents related to this technology in 2021 but eventually discontinued the project by 2024.