China: Atlas and Hicloud partner for underwater data centers

Atlas and Shenzhen Hicloud Data Center Technology (Hicloud) have announced their partnership to explore reducing data center energy consumption. Through this deal, Atlas, an international group providing blockchain infrastructure-as-a-service, is now the first commercial Web3 user of the Underwater Data Center (UDC) project. 

According to the two, underwater data centers help address the land scarcity challenges encountered by many operators and likewise reduce energy consumption by harnessing ocean energy for marine computing power.

The units can reportedly be constructed in three months and will have sealed oxygen and dust-free cabins, ensuring a higher level of data security. Further, due to more than half of the world's population currently living within 193 kilometers of the coast, deployments will provide lower network latency.

"At Atlas, we're committed to driving sustainable growth, and we believe that sustainable energy is key to our success," said Raymond Yuan, founder and Chairman of Atlas. "Partnering with Hicloud on the UDC project is an important step in supporting a more innovative and sustainable Web3 economy."

Meanwhile, Shen Wanqiu, the Founder of Hicloud, said: "Joining forces with Atlas Technology is a critical move for Hicloud. The UDC project will leverage our expertise in marine electronics. With the cooperation of Atlas, we hope to explore and develop new technologies to enhance the efficiency of data centers for the Web3 industry."

Many believe that the future of cloud computing is located under our seas, and in recent years, a number of companies have been developing their own sea-based solutions. Microsoft's Project Natick, for example, found that its UDC had just one-eighth the failure rate of its land-based counterpart, helped reduce emissions, and reduced latency.