A cutting-edge underwater intelligent computing center was launched this February in Lingshui City, South China's Hainan, as a part of the island province's effort to promote the digital economy and China's nationwide integrated computing network.
Computing centers provide the backbone for training and operating large-scale AI models, which are fueling a boom in China's private tech enterprises. With underwater data capsules placed on the sea floor and linked to land-based stations, the Hainan Undersea Computing Cluster marks the first underwater computing center open for commercial use.
Compared to traditional land-based computing centers, the Hainan center stands out for its all-round advantages, according to Wang Shihua, the deputy general manager of the Hainan branch of Hicloud Technology, which is China's first underwater computing center service provider and the developer of the Hainan center.
"(The Hainan computing center) saves water, electricity, and land usage. It possesses enhanced reliability and security as well as lower delay," said Wang.
The Hainan Computing Center currently boasts a computing power equivalent to 30,000 high-performance computers running simultaneously, while maintaining low energy consumption. A key metric for evaluating energy efficiency in computing centers is Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), where a value closer to one indicates higher energy efficiency.
"The average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of traditional land-based computing centers across China is around 1.48, according to published data. Meanwhile, the Hainan Undersea Computing Center's PUE is between 1.12 and 1.15. If we assume both land-based and undersea computing centers have a one-megawatt power distribution, the undersea facilities can save around 30 percent to 40 percent of power," said Wang.
As a flagship project of Hainan's digital economy push, the center has cooperated with multiple enterprises in AI model training, game development, and marine science research.
"First, the facility offers rapid modular deployment. Secondly, it operates in a dust-free, oxygen-free, and temperature-stable environment, significantly extending the lifespan of its computing infrastructure. On the other hand, China's national strategy advocates green energy and green computing centers. The Hainan center aligns with the national strategy," said Liu Haichao from Paratera, a Beijing-based tech company that has signed a cooperation agreement with the Hainan center.
The Hainan Center is also a part of China's effort to build a nationwide integrated computing network. Since 2022, China has been developing 10 national data center clusters across the country, and the 2025 Government Work Report also emphasizes optimizing national computing power distribution, marking a nation-level commitment to the new industry.
China's first underwater intelligent computing center in Hainan boosts AI development
