"According to CEO Sam Kanner, the data center concept emerged when he realised the turbine platform already provided two things hyperscalers desperately need: large amounts of renewable energy and access to natural cooling. The wind turbine provides the power, and offshore wind farms typically generate up to five times more energy than onshore wind."
"In the North Sea, strong and consistent winds keep turbines operating for longer periods, sometimes producing more electricity than the grid can absorb. Meanwhile, the surrounding seawater can cool the data center, removing the need for complex cooling systems."
"In 2018, Microsoft deployed Project Natick, a submerged data center on the seabed near the Orkney Islands. The trial was largely successful, with only six of the 864 servers failing during the two-year deployment."
Aikido Technologies plans to deploy a 100-kilowatt demonstration data center in a submerged pod off Norway's coast this year, powered by an offshore wind turbine with data transmitted via undersea fiber-optic cable. The company aims to scale up to a 10-12 megawatt facility off the UK coast by 2028. Offshore wind generates up to five times more energy than onshore wind, with North Sea turbines producing consistent power that often exceeds grid capacity. Seawater provides natural cooling, eliminating complex cooling infrastructure. Microsoft previously tested underwater data centers with Project Natick near the Orkney Islands in 2018, achieving a 99.3% server success rate over two years before abandoning the project in 2024.
#offshore-wind-energy #underwater-data-centers #renewable-energy-infrastructure #sustainable-computing
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