Regulatory Waters Rough for Underwater Data Center in San Francisco Bay

A San Francisco startup, NetworkOcean, is working on an underwater data center to reduce energy use and improve efficiency. However, they face challenges from environmental regulators concerned about the impact on the ecosystem, making the project more difficult. Regulatory Waters Rough for Underwater Data Center in San Francisco Bay.

NetworkOcean plans to place a 500kW data center in a specially designed capsule and submerge it in San Francisco Bay to test the technology. The company claims this approach could lower water consumption and cut energy use by 30%.

Supported by the Y Combinator accelerator program, NetworkOcean also offers 2,048 Nvidia H100 GPUs for reservation. These powerful GPUs could make them a key player in AI, machine learning, and scientific research.

While promising for sustainable data centers, NetworkOcean must work with regulators to ensure they don’t harm the San Francisco Bay ecosystem. If successful, they could lead the way for energy-efficient underwater data centers, transforming how we store and process data.

Making Waves?

NetworkOcean, a startup from California, wants to test an underwater data center in San Francisco Bay, but it hasn’t gotten the necessary permits. According to Wired, two agencies, the Bay Conservation and Development Commission and the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board, have warned NetworkOcean that testing without a permit could lead to large fines.

Scientists are worried that disturbing the bay or increasing water temperatures might harm local plants and wildlife.

The company, founded by Sam Mendel and Eric Kim, has a background in building underwater power generators. While it’s not clear if their data center uses this technology, Kim has a patent for a “renewable energy device.”

Mendel said they plan to test the data center for an hour, just below the water’s surface, in a private area of the bay that doesn’t require permits. He also mentioned that they’ve been assured by the testing site that their setup is safe for the environment.

The Lasting Allure of Underwater Data Centers

Underwater data centers have a lot of appeal. They use the cool ocean water to keep servers from overheating, which can save energy and help reduce pressure on power grids. The underwater environment also helps servers run better and last longer because it’s free from dust and oxygen.

NetworkOcean is one of many startups working on this idea. For example HiCloud, a company from China, has installed data centers 35 meters deep off Hainan Province. They hope to save a lot of energy and land with their setup.

13,500 undersea servers in Asia are used by Subsea Cloud for AI & gaming. They claim that ocean’s temperature is unaffected by their setup.

Although they present some difficulties underwater servers can be dependable as demonstrated by earlier initiatives like Microsoft’s Project Natick. Microsoft decided not to manufacture additional of them despite finding them to be sturdy. They’ll enhance other data center technologies with the knowledge they’ve gained.

Underwater data centers have a lot to offer overall but there are certain issues that need to be resolved.

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FAQ: Regulatory Waters Rough for Underwater Data Center in San Francisco Bay

What is NetworkOcean’s underwater data center project?
A new kind of data center that will be submerged in San Francisco Bay is being tested by NetworkOcean. Idea is to cool the servers using ocean water which might save water and electricity.

Why are there problems with NetworkOcean’s project?
The required permits for NetworkOcean’s underwater data center aren’t in place. Environmental authorities are concerned that the project may have an adverse effect on San Francisco Bay, which could result in fines.

How could underwater data centers help the environment?
Cool ocean water is used in underwater data centers to prevent server overheating which can save energy & water. This might lessen the effect on the environment and electrical grids.

What is special about NetworkOcean’s technology?
NetworkOcean’s data center aims to save up to 30% in energy & reduce water use. They also offer powerful Nvidia H100 GPUs which are great for AI, machine learning & research.

What did Microsoft’s Project Natick show about underwater data centers?
Cool water makes underwater servers more dependable and efficient, as Microsoft’s Project Natick discovered. Microsoft did, however, choose not to construct any further undersea data centers and instead to apply the lessons learned to enhance existing data center technologies.