What is Aikido planning for offshore data centers?

Startup Aikido is planning to submerge a demonstration data center off the coast of Norway this year, housed within offshore wind turbine pods.

How do submerged data centers benefit from the ocean?

Submerged data centers benefit from the ocean's cold seawater, which simplifies the cooling process for servers and provides proximity to offshore wind power.

Has the idea of submerged data centers been tried before?

Yes, Microsoft experimented with a submerged data center off the coast of Scotland in 2018, which showed a low server failure rate over 25 months.

Home / Technology / Ocean Data Centers: Cooling AI in the Deep Blue Sea

Ocean Data Centers: Cooling AI in the Deep Blue Sea

4 Mar

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Summary

Startup Aikido plans to submerge a data center off Norway's coast this year.
Offshore data centers leverage cold seawater for efficient server cooling.
Microsoft previously experimented with submerged data centers off Scotland.

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.