China's underwater data centers raise environmental red flags

A Chinese company is submerging data servers in the ocean to exploit seawater cooling, a cost-efficient workaround to the energy demands of AI infrastructure. Experts lack data on corrosion, marine ecosystem disruption, and whether the energy savings justify potential environmental costs. AI's computational hunger is forcing infrastructure into unconventional environments, shifting the problem from power grids to ocean settings that lack equivalent regulatory oversight or impact assessment frameworks.